Aspen Idea

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.

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Aspen Idea

Embodied by the phrase "mind, body, spirit," the Aspen Idea is a bedrock concept for the local community. Starting with the formation of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, the Aspen Music Festival and the International Design Conference, the Aspen Idea has evolved into a wide range of non-profit groups supporting arts, culture and the health and welfare of local communities.

This section replaces the "Arts Culture and Education" section in the 2000 Aspen Area Community Plan, and attempts to show what's going on in the local world of arts and culture.

The new Dorr-Hosier Center at the Aspen Institute opened in 2007, adding additional capacity for a wide range of events.
The Aspen Music Festival is in the process of planning for an expansion of its school campus on Castle Creek Road.
The Wheeler Opera House has launched the 21st Century Wheeler Master Plan, focused on the potential for new performing arts venues and classrooms on the vacant parcel next to the Wheeler.
The Aspen Art Museum is part of the Zupancis-Galena Master Plan, focusing on a new "signature" art museum at the site of the former Youth Center.
The Aspen School District Theatre added much-needed dressing rooms and a reception area as part of an expansion in 2006. The Red Brick Center for the Arts added a conference room in 2006.
Aspen Film was one of several partners in a major public-private partnership that kept the Isis Theatre operating.

Linkage to other issues

There are precious few issues in the Aspen area that exist in a vacuum. Here are a few topics that are directly related to sustaining the Aspen Idea.

Housing. Like other economic sectors, the arts community struggles to find affordable housing for its staff. The Aspen Music Festival and School finds summer homes for many of its students at the Marolt Ranch Housing complex.

Economics. A 2004 study commissioned by the Red Brick Center for the Arts calculated that total audience expenditures on arts/cultural events (including lodging, restaurants, shopping, recreation) averaged $31.3 million during the summer months and $4.8 million in the winter months.