There are three parcels of city-owned land set to become Aspen’s newest affordable rental offerings.
What the buildings look like and who gets to reside in them are still up for discussion, however. During two public open houses Wednesday at the Limelight, the development team and city staff will present conceptual designs and consider feedback from those who attend.
The open house consists of five informational stations in the room, showing the project timeline and mock-ups of the three new apartment buildings. Attendees can place small blue stickers as “votes” on different questions regarding neighborhood appropriateness and floor layouts.
What’s being presented right now are three new three-story buildings, consisting of 48 units - mostly one and two bedrooms. The Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority (APCHA) would screen applicants for the units to make sure they meet the income and work requirements, but these units would all be managed by the Aspen Housing Partnership, led by Jason Bradshaw. Instead of being granted to those with the longest work history, like APCHA-managed rentals, these units would operate similar to the the Maroon Creek, Castle Ridge and Centennial apartments - where occupancy is up to the discretion of the property manager.
John Gates and Monika Vass attended last week’s open house to learn more about Aspen’s next housing offerings, but were disappointed to find that all three developments will be dedicated to rental units. The couple is already in the APCHA system, but with the birth of their daughter it’s just a matter of time before they need to change their living arrangement. They would love to buy a bigger unit.
“We are three in a one bedroom,” said Vass “I didn’t realize this is mainly for the rentals. I think there needs to be some sort of plans. Three years ago (I went to) one of these events and I just don’t feel like anything has been done.”
John Shine attended last week’s open house. He is living in a free market rental apartment now, and has been bidding to buy a home in the affordable housing lottery for seven years. He’s okay with these new developments being rentals though. He said this is because the ownership units are clogging up the system.
“It’s a gift, it’s a subsidy, regardless if you own them,” said Shine. “Obviously more ownership would be great, but there's that concern that nobody is leaving them, there's not enough turnover.”
Shine was happy to learn that the projects are a public/private partnership. He thinks it’s too much for the city to take on without help. So far, no public money has gone to hiring the architectural design team behind the conceptual drawings on display.
Chris Everson, the affordable housing project manager for the City of Aspen, said it’s cliché to say the city is trying to please everyone by gathering public feedback. He knows that’s impossible. The more likely scenario is that all concerned parties – users of affordable housing, non-users and neighbors – will feel a little let down.
“The density is going to be a big topic,” said Everson. “Some people would say, ‘We need to use these funds as efficiently as possible, so we need to put as many units as possible on each site.’ Well, what we really need is to make everyone feel comfortable with what we are doing, so we may not end up packing as many units on each site.”
It’s also important, said Everson, to avoid class segregation by segmenting certain income levels and unit layouts.
Tess Strokes lives in the Bavarian Condominiums, directly adjacent to one of the proposed buildings. She attended the open house in opposition to the three-story development, concerned that the height would block already-limited views. She’s also worried that increased traffic in the shared parking lot would be unsafe for the many children who currently live in the deed-restricted complex. But, she does support the creation of affordable housing, crediting the program with creating Aspen’s character.
“It’s a tremendous, wonderful program that is the only reason we are able to live here, and most of our friends,” said Strokes. “I think we need to keep Aspen a true real community – families that work and play here and live here year round and care about this place more than the second home owners and the tourists. It’s what keeps the place going.”
At this stage, details, like if the units would be pet-friendly, have not been decided. But all feedback collected during the public comment period will be presented to city council on Feb 14. The project is slated to break ground in mid-2018.
The open houses are Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Limelight Hotel. The public is also invited to give feedback online at the project website.
