SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "City Council pushes for lodging over townhome development"

Heaven forbid that Aspen City Council would ever do an OK right off the get-go on a development project that makes a hundred times over more sense than simply building more lodging rooms.

Building townhomes and average folks housing at the base of Aspen Mountain is a phenomenal concept that will really bring cash revenues into Aspen's coffers and at a higher rate of speed than catering to the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  After all.......how many 'Hemeter Houses' and Little Nells do we need?

Here's a clue, Aspen.

Build mid-to upper tier chain lodging out at the AABC, push for high density residential that can turn over as vacay rentals by owners in downtown and watch Aspen come to life in the real world.

Turn Base Village into an ultra level casino  complex that is unique in every way and watch prosperity for everyone come to Aspen.

win win.

Are we 'sick of mick' yet?

Dorothy Atkins:
"A development project that would build townhomes at the base of Aspen Mountain instead of a lodge got a contentious initial reception from Aspen City Council Tuesday night.
 
Council voted 3-to-1, with Councilman Steve Skadron dissenting, to pass the first reading of a proposal to build 14 townhomes and 10 affordable housing apartments on the 2.4-acre South Aspen Street parcel, once planned for the Lodge at Aspen Mountain. “No” votes are a rarity on City Council first readings, which are typically a formality and precede the second reading, where a public hearing is held.
 
The proposal also includes building eight additional affordable housing units at the Aspen Airport Business Center, and the developers would pay $475,000 into the affordable housing fund to mitigate city housing requirements.
 
A previous owner of the land originally received an approval for 14 townhomes and 17 affordable housing units in 2003. Those approvals were put on hold while the former developer sought to build a project known as the Lodge at Aspen Mountain. The controversial project was never approved and the developer eventually declared bankruptcy. ASV Aspen Street Owners LLC, a group of Boston and Chicago investors, bought the site in 2010.
 
While Skadron was the sole dissenting vote, Mayor Mick Ireland and councilmen Torre and Adam Frisch agreed that they would prefer to see a lodging project  over townhomes. (Councilman Derek Johnson recused himself from the discussion, because he lives within 300 feet of the site.)...."
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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Fractional occupancy difficult to pin down"

"Tracking actual occupancy levels of Aspen’s fractional ownership and timeshare properties is difficult, but they appear produce slightly more “hot beds” than traditional lodges, according to a study recently commissioned by the city of Aspen.

The study, produced by former Aspen planning director Julie Ann Woods, is based on interviews with knowledgeable people in the industry, surveys filled out by the general managers of two Aspen fractional properties, and confidential occupancy data shared by another Aspen property. Woods concludes that occupancy at Aspen’s fractional properties averages out around 60 to 65 percent on a year-round basis, and can be in the 80-95 percent range during “high season” periods.

“It is perceived that occupancy in fractional units is slightly higher on average over traditional lodging,” Woods writes in the study...."
(Curtis Wackerle)

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