ISSUE # 24 ... YOUR ASPEN HOME MAY BE MORE EXTRAORDINARY THAN YOU THINK
January 21 (click on Comment bubble below to post your comment)
"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner." - James Bovard, Civil Libertarian
Most of us think that if we don't own a classic Victorian or a new, elegant, massive home in Aspen, we don't have homes of particular interest to the public. That is perhaps a naïve view, given the current discussions in City Hall.
Consider, for example, The Ant girls' homes. Marilyn has a typical 2000 era Western style home, timbers, cedar shakes,---resembling scores of other recently built houses in town. Elizabeth has a renovated 1970's townhouse in a small complex, closer to town. Nice places, for sure, but neither is remotely historic or architecturally significant.
Not Again!-I Thought that City Council Gave Up on Ordinance 30!
There was considerable citizens' outcry after the then-new Council, lead by Mayor Mick and Jack Johnson, enacted an "emergency" ordinance to restrict changes on 30+ year old properties within the City limits. The months of outrage lead Council to release most properties from the City's lair, and punt to a hand-picked Task Force to study recommendations for the City Historic Preservation code, particularly as it relates to properties built in the last 50 years. In the meantime, 53 post WWII properties that werenot released by the City, remain captives while the owners are given a choice to demolish or perform massive renovations to free their properties from the potential undesirable restrictions. (Talk with some of those homeowners to understand the financial and emotional burdens they face, merely because they own an 1970's ski house or funky Panabode --a 1950's pre-fab log kit house.)
The Task Force and their subcommittees have met for months, and the results are beginning to be compiled in an attempt to propose new regulations while this current City Council is still seated, and is heavily influenced by the "Nostaligics."
The "Nostalgics" want to rewind the grainy film to the 1970's and freeze frame Aspen life for all time. This likely means freezing your Aspen property, too.
But even those fans of more regulation, more "protection" and expansion of our current Historic Preservation program need to consider the well-hidden but significant financial and intangible costs to the community. Few are aware of the real costs of the incentives we 
offer todevelopers and homeowners for historic designation. Millions of dollars in additional development rights are delivered to the developers of "historic" properties with questionable "historic preservation" value returned to the community.Almost no one talks about this inequity. Maybe it's not PC here.
An interesting example of such misplacedincentives may be the Aspen Athletic Club, where the owners arecurrently volunteering for historic designation. Per the Aspen Daily News, there are plans to add a floor that would fill in the building's two-story tall courtyard.
It appears that the historic designation would exempt the project from certain affordable housing fees, as well as growth management quotas. Would most Aspenites value this tired-looking 30-something year old structure enough to require the City to foregore the fees and housing, which would otherwise be required for its redevelopment?
What about the personal residences pictured?Should we give millions in value (lot splits, reduced setbacks, more F.A.R., etc.) to perserve these places?
The question is unlikely to be asked,as voluntarydesignationsapplicationsare rarely examined for the cost to the public.
You've Been Spared Many Meetings
While the scores of task force meetings in the last year have been open to the public, we have not requested that you attend, hoping to save your energy until decision time approached. Decision time is nowapproaching as the Task Force crafts their recommendations for Council. There will be more meetings on various topics prior to Council presentation. We will inform you of the upcoming meetings which we think are crucial for citizen input between now and Council consideration in the Spring. There are probably a small handful in the next several weeks where the Task Force needs to hear the little-heard voices of the public and property owners. We want to be judicious in asking for your participation in those upcoming meetings. The first we urge you to attend is scheduled for noon, this Thursday, in Council Chambers.
"But,I Don't Live In a Historic District"
Maybe, but not for long, if some Task Force members have their way in blanketing the entire town, or large residential areas, as a protected "historic district." That could mean that making improvements to your property--new windows, new steps, a new patio --would require expensive, bureaucratic and unreasonable reviews at City Hall-reviewsthat would involve others opining on the "character" of those improvements. Obviously the advocates' goal may also be to reduce the mass of any proposed additions, regardless of what is otherwise allowed by the building code.
While the proposal seems so extreme that it would not make it past a rational Task Force, it is a one of several possibilities, given the months- long discussion of the district concept. Therefore, it is important for the Task Force to hear from property owners before their proposal is crafted and considered by Council.
Take a Few Minutes to Offer Your Input
We encourage you to attend Thursday's lunchtime (Noon-2 p.m.) session to hear the discussion and comment during the public comment opportunity. Now is the time to have input. It only gets harder to have meaningful input as the proposals go before Council.
Thursday's session is a meeting of the full Task Force at noon in Council Chambers.
Don't sit by and let "the other guy" look out for your interest. More than ever, our town needs a diverse group of involved and informed voices as significant policies are formulated.
OTHER IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Area Long Range Planning Effort
Participate in the City of Aspen's Long Term Planning Sessions NEXT WEEK---whether your are a voter, part-time resident, working commuter, business owner, or frequent tourist. (see The Red Ant Issue #23 www.TheRedAnt.com for background.) Register right away with theCity at http://www.aspencommunityvision.com/page_40.
Your fellow citizens need your voice and vision.
Carbon Monoxide Tragedy-Update and NEW LAW (Including ALL EXISTING residences--likely YOURS.)
On January 12, City Council voted unanimously to require Carbon Monoxide detectors in all residential occupancy sleeping areas - anywhere anyone sleeps - by March 2, 2009. This includes all new and EXISTING residences, regardless of whether the dwelling is heated by electricity or gas. Pitkin County has already adopted this same regulation - The Lofgren Ordinance (named for the family of four who lost their lives due to CO poisoning during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend).
See more information on the requirements which affect youat :
http://theredant.squarespace.com/storage/Ptk_monoxide_cardFinal.pdf
and
http://www.aspenpitkin.com/apps/news/news_item_detail.cfm?NewsItemID=1007.
Get your CO monitors at our local Alpine Ace Hardware, in the Clark's building, or by calling 925-3031. (Alpine Ace offers Free Delivery.)
And, The Red Ant salutes the Aspen Elks Club for committing to provide CO Monitors to local seniors in conjunction with Pitkin County Senior Services. Thank you!!
Reader Comments (3)
Do Mick and Jack REALLY want to make this an issue with local property owners this May?