Latest Document

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

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Printable Version

Register for Updates

Latest Document

P&Zs approve AACP!

On November 15, the City and County Planning and Zoning Commissions approved the 2011/2012 Aspen Area Community Plan! Check out the draft by clicking here.

Please note that the document is best viewed in Internet Explorer. Please contact the City Community Development Department at (970) 429.2780 if you are having difficulty viewing the document or would like a hard copy.

The September 15, 2011 draft is available by clicking here.

So, What's New?
The chapters have been re-formatted to focus on the Vision, Philosophy, and Policies. Three new sections have been added to each of the chapters:

What's Changed Since 2000: This section outlines recent history and background information that is relevant to the chapter.
What's New in the 2011 Plan: This section summarizes how this plan differs from the 2000 AACP in terms of policy direction.
Linkages: This section outlines how each chapter connects to other topics.

All of the policies are identified as falling into one of six categories, with the intention of being more specific and creating more accountability for implementation. The categories are included in the revised chapters, and are outlined below:

Community Goals - These statements articulate our community aspirations. They guide how we should make decisions on a variety of topics from development to general city/county policies.
Collaborative Initiatives - These statements direct collaboration between a variety of groups, including the city, county, non-profits, other government agencies, businesses, etc. Additional work may result from the collaboration, but the first step is working with interested and affected parties.
Incentive Programs - These statements do not direct regulatory code changes, but look to implement new voluntary programs and policies.
Work Programs - These statements describe potential departmental work programs. They may require work from one or more departments. They do not direct code changes, but may direct internal city/county policy changes.
Data Needs - These statements clearly identify the need for new data gathering. Data gathering may ultimately support code changes, budget priorities, work programs, and initiatives.
Proposed Code Amendments - These statements are guiding, but direct future code changes. These code changes range from exploring the creation of a development pacing system to updating affordable housing mitigation levels. These policies will require follow-up and prioritization by appointed and elected officials.