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Base 1 Lodge: It came down to a tree in the end

Elise Thatcher

  Aspen will see its first new affordable hotel in many years. On Monday, Aspen City Council approved a proposal by Chicago transplant and major landowner Mark Hunt. But at literally the 11th hour, a tree came close to derailing whether the project could move forward.

Reporter: I’m standing next to the grand matriarch in question. It’s a 70-year-old cottonwood sandwiched in the middle of the sidewalk just in front of Johnny McGuire’s deli. Gail Mason is walking by. She’s a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley.

“I mean if it’s alive and it’s healthy it should be incorporated into the project.”

Reporter: Aspen City Forester Ben Carlson said Monday night the tree is doing well.

“The cottonwood tree has good structure, it’s a healthy tree, it’s the type of tree that we don’t have very much of, in the downtown area.”

Reporter: It’s at the southeast corner of the lot in question, just feet away from the property line. Hunt and his team had asked to cut it down, but Carlson’s office denied that request, saying the city considers the tree a public amenity that should be protected.

Developers asked City Council to weigh in on the matter Monday night. Council seemed a little flummoxed on what to do, and Hunt and his planner looked deflated. Councilmember Dwayne Romero pushed them to find a way to make the project workaround the tree.

From left to right: Sara Adams, Mitch Haas, and Mark Hunt listen to City Council comments about Base 1.

  “You’re saying the deal is going to die on presence or the preservation of a tree? That’s what you’re telling me?”

Reporter: Mayor Steve Skadron was a little more diplomatic.

“My preference is that we could maintain the tree. Mark, you know, we laugh about it. We just spent, at 11 o’clock at night, a half an hour discussing a tree. But the principle is much more important. And I think it’s fundamental to the roots of the community.”

Reporter: Yes, pun intended. There was some irony to the discussion, as the city of Aspen has approved the removal of 30 trees in another part of town. That’s to make way for more city offices.

In the end, on Monday night council approved the affordable hotel. But that included requiring the developer to do everything possible to make room for the tree, so it can survive construction.

Credit Elise Thatcher
From left to right: City Council members Dwayne Romero, Mayor Steve Skadron, Adam Frisch, and Ann Mullins. (Not pictured: Art Daily.)

Reporter: As I’m standing next to the sizable cottonwood, local resident Brennen Connor parks in front of it. That spot might go away to make sure tree has enough room.

“I’m usually a bus guy. I’m just getting a haircut right now.”

Reporter: Connor says if the parking spot gets eliminated, he’d be fine with that. Those finer details for the new hotel and its companion city tree will be ironed out in the coming months.

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