Project Phases
State of the
Aspen Area
Speaker
Series
Aspen Economy
White Paper
Random
Survey
Small Group
Meetings
Survey
Results
Large Group
Meetings
Planning &
Zoning Review
City Council &
BOCC Review
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State of the Aspen Area: 2000-2008
September 17

This report contains up to date information on a range of issues that have traditionally been important to the Aspen community, ranging from transportation to housing and growth. Did you know that the City has issued 9,886 building permits with a value of $2.4 billion since 2000? This is just one piece of information contained in this comprehensive report. Included are reader-friendly summaries
of each topic.
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Speaker Series
September 17 - October

Staff visited various groups and organizations in the Aspen area to offer a PowerPoint presentation on the highlights of the State of the Aspen Area report, and the public process for generating a Community Vision for the Aspen Area.
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'White Paper' on the
Aspen Economy
October 20

This is a rare opportunity to gain a new understanding of the unique and powerful resort economy that drives many important issues in the Aspen area. The City of Aspen hired an international resort consulting firm (Economics Research Associates) to draft this 'White Paper.' The report is reader-friendly and accessible to the general public.
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Random Survey
November

A survey has been mailed to random households in the Aspen area, asking a wide range of questions about your vision for the future. This approach has been tested in mountain communities before, and will be a statistically accurate reflection of community values, likes and dislikes. Results will be available in January 2009.
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Small Group Meetings
Oct 27 - Nov 14

More than 150 people recently participated in 11 small group meetings in October and November, offering their visions and goals for the future. These meetings were not intended to produce a consensus of any kind, but to express a range of goals and visions. A summary of notes from these meetings are available on the "Small Group Meetings" page.
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Survey Results
2nd week January

The results of the random survey that was mailed to Aspen area residents in November will be available on the website. This is a values-based survey that can help form the Community Vision for the Aspen area.
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Large Community Vision Meetings
January 27, January 31

Our goal is to have at least 350 people attend each of three public meetings, so more than 1,000 people can take part in drafting a Community Vision for the Aspen Area. We'll use a number of methods, including wireless voting keypads to explore the community's values. For more information and to RSVP and reserve your clicker, please see the homepage.
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Planning and Zoning
Commission Review
March

This will be a more traditional and formalized process where the Planning and Zoning Commissions of both the City and the County will review a draft of the Community Vision for the Aspen Area. This will include legally noticed public hearings that anyone can attend to offer their comments.
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City Council and Board of County Commissioners Review
April

This will be a more traditional and formalized process where the Aspen City Council and the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners will review a draft of the Community Vision for the Aspen Area, while also considering the input of both planning and zoning commissions. This will include legally noticed public hearings that anyone can attend to offer their comments.


Register for Updates

Background Data


As part of the update to the Aspen Area Community Plan, staff has provided the Planning and Zoning Commissions with updated facts and figures. In addition, the public feedback received as part of the initial public process is available here.  This page is intended to be a "one stop shop" for all the data that has been generated as part of this process.  Please contact if you have any questions on the information contained on this page.

2011 Survey Results (released March 21, 2011)

Large Group Meeting Results (from the November 2010 clicker sessions)

Small Group Meeting Results (from October 2010)

Small Group Meeting Results (from November 2008)

Survey Results (from November 2008)

Large Group Meeting Results (the January 2009 clicker sessions)

Aspen Area Population Data by Segments (updated 10/2009)
This document lists the current estimated population of the Aspen Area, and divides it into Permanent Residents, Commuting Workforce, Visitors, and Second Homeowners.

Census Population Data (updated 9/2009)
This document includes the 2000 Census data for the City of Aspen.

City Residential Build Out (updated 9/2009)
This is a supplement to the Commercial Build Out information in the State of the Aspen Area Report.  It is a study of existing residential development and estimates future development potential based on current zoning.

City Commercial Build Out (updated 9/2008)
This information is taken from the Managing Growth chapter of the State of the Aspen Area Report.

County Build Out (updated 9/2008)
This information is taken from the Managing Growth chapter of the State of the Aspen Area Report.

History of Managing Growth (updated 2/2009)
Staff prepared a brief power point presentation on the history of the Managing Growth System.

Carrying Capacity White Paper (updated 8/2009)
Staff prepared a brief white paper on the concept of Carrying Capacity.  The paper outlines  how the term "carrying capacity" originated and its applicability to the Aspen Area.

Summary of Building Permit Allocation Systems (updated 10/2009)
Staff prepared an analysis of Cities and Towns throughout the country that have building permit quota systems.  A brief analysis of common features, and potential applicability to the Aspen Area is also included.

Summary of Regulatory Tool Applicable to the Commercial Sector (updated 10/2009)
Staff prepared an analysis of various tools that could be used to regulate commercial development.  These include quota systems, conditional use requirements, mitigation, and others.

Housing Summit Materials(2007)
Materials provided for the 2007 Housing Summit, as well as a follow up memo from City Staff.