The Lazy Glen subdivision could soon have access to the Rio Grande Trail via a bridge over the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County acquired adjacent riverfront property last year and is now seeking comment on its management.
To walk, bike, or ski the Rio Grande from Lazy Glen, residents must drive more than a mile to the RFTA stop at Snowmass Creek, then cross CO 82 onto Lower River Road—or take their chances on the shoulders of the busy highway. And while it’s not unusual to have to work to get to the popular path linking Aspen and Glenwood Springs, it’s frustrating for people in Lazy Glen: Their homes look right across the river at the trail.
At recent open house events, held in Basalt on Jan. 14 and in Lazy Glen on Jan. 18, officials heard support from neighborhood residents and trail users for a safe, easy route to the Rio Grande.
Lindsey Utter, senior planner for Pitkin County Open Space and trails, says construction may take place soon.
“Ideally, we could get things going and constructed in 2017,” Utter says. “The community’s been excited about it and (the process) has been well-supported. It’s been very rewarding.”
The space could also eventually include small-scale agricultural uses and a skiing loop, and a barn on the property already houses the county’s nordic grooming machine.
An initial comment period on the 40 acre parcel closes Wednesday, Jan. 20,, and officials will release a draft plan on Jan. 29. Additional public input will be gathered this spring. To submit comments on the management of this proposed addition to the 4,500 existing acres in Pitkin County’s Open Space and Trails system, click here.
