A public vote on Theatre Aspen’s proposed permanent venue in Rio Grande Park would be necessary to move the project forward, the Aspen City Council said during a work session on Monday.
The project is still in the works and a formal land use application is still a few months away from submission, but council members told Theatre Aspen staff that they would prefer to put the project up for a vote at some point to let the public weigh in. A vote isn’t required, but the council can decide to place the question before voters.
“I don’t undervalue the importance of your organization, but I want to see the need for this demonstrated to the community,” Councilwoman Christine Benedetti said. “This is not private land, it’s a public space, and I think the public should weigh in on this.”
Theatre Aspen presented its most recent renderings and project plans for a year-round, permanent facility to replace the semi-permanent tent it uses in Rio Grande Park during the work session on Monday. Last year, the city council approved a letter of intent from Theatre Aspen to begin a land use application process of using city land in the park to build the new structure.
The most recent designs showed a two-level building with a rehearsal hall on the upper level and the theater on the underground level, which would accommodate about 275 seats, said Jed Bernstein, a producing director with Theatre Aspen.
It is also proposing building a green rooftop that would be open to the public.
Theatre Aspen first proposed its building concept in August 2022. Bernstein said the nonprofit wants to build a year-round asset that will allow it to expand its educational programming and support for other arts organizations, and to create a centralized location for all of its productions.
“To put it succinctly, when this is done, it should be all the things you like about Theatre Aspen, but better,” Bernstein said. “It will not take up more ground space, its programming purposes are the same; we’re not looking to build restaurants and condos and things like that.”
After the project was first proposed, the Open Space and Trails Board raised concerns about the mass and scale of the building and how the new venue would fit into the park’s existing landscape. At the time, Theatre Aspen worked with the city’s parks and open space staff to refine the design.
The most recent designs reflect some of those changes, including less excavation, Bernstein said. Digging less is a safer option and a cheaper one for Theatre Aspen, he said.
But Mayor Rachel Richards said the location next to the Roaring Fork River is still a concern.
“That river can be very, very destructive as a force, and I really worry about that in that area,” she said.
Council members also raised concerns about a proposed fly tower — a space in the theater that allows crews to lift scenery in the air, and requires a certain amount of clearance above the stage to do so effectively. They didn’t want the height to be too obstructive.
They were also concerned about the construction of the facility on city land, and how that asset may impact the city in the future.
“It’s a generational project,” Benedetti said. “It’s a potential asset, it’s also a potential liability for the city, depending on the success of your organization, so I’d like to see this go to a public vote … I really do want the community to weigh in on this.”
Current estimates show construction would take about 20-24 months, Bernstein said. The timeline — and subsequent impacts to Rio Grande Park — was another cause for concern among council members.
“The fact that all the construction traffic will be coming in on that narrow pathway, I think, is really problematic for a year and a half, and that’s going to be a huge construction impact to one of our most beloved and used parks in the whole city,” Councilman John Doyle said. “I just think we all should be thinking about this very carefully moving forward.”
Bernstein said a land use application should be submitted by the fall. It would need to go through months of review before formally returning to the city council, likely by next spring.
While a vote is not required, and Theatre Aspen believes “this will be a popular project, so we don’t love the idea of spending the extra money on the time that it would take,” Bernstein requested a public vote take place after the city council completes the land use review to give the public a better idea of the project on which they would vote.
Council members wanted to see some of their concerns addressed in the land use application, including how to make sure the facility can remain viable in the years to come.
“Our world is changing quickly, and consumer preferences are evolving very rapidly and in ways that were not expected,” Councilman Bill Guth said. “I certainly couldn’t have predicted that movie theaters would be in the dire straits that they’re in today, and god forbid that happens to live theater, but it’s not off the table. The next generation could have no interest in that and then what happens?”
Guth continued, “I don’t know how you answer that question for us, but I did want to put that out there. That, to me, is a real risk … How do we get some comfort that Theatre Aspen can weather some storms, financial or demand-wise or otherwise?”
Theatre Aspen said it would respond to questions during the land use application process.