Aspen City Council candidates identify top issues

Part III of this week’s four-part question-and-answer series with six Aspen City Council candidates allows the council hopefuls themselves to identify and briefly discuss the top issues facing the community outside of the entrance to Aspen topic, which was covered in Wednesday’s second segment. 

The municipal election will be held March 4. The six candidates are vying for two seats.

And the question is:

Aside from the entrance to Aspen question, please identify two or three top issues the city of Aspen faces today and in the near term. In what manner do you want to address them?

Emily Kolbe

Aspen’s small-town charm, world-class skiing and quality of life drive people to love our little city. We have long been revered as a forward-thinking community that focuses resources and leads the nation in land use and conservation, cultural enrichment and innovative thought and design. Protecting these core values is an important part of our character, our image, our brand.

As our community continues to evolve, we must be proactive in exploring measures that will preserve and enhance Aspen’s character and charm. Supporting affordable, locally owned and operated small businesses is central to this. We should look to incentivize the completion of commercial projects to restore business inventory and enhance the beauty of our downtown core. Our community is missing places where we once congregated, informally connecting with residents and visitors. Restoring Armory Hall to its historic, intended communal purpose would serve as a place for people to come together and celebrate our rich history. This communal asset — and Aspen’s legacy events (Wintersköl, Food and Wine, Motherlode Volleyball, etc.) — are all worth preserving through intentional planning. 

There would be no Aspen community without the bold vision and execution of our deed-restricted housing program. We pioneered the affordable employee housing model that other resort communities have emulated. Our program ensures residents can stay, grow and thrive in the place they choose to call home. We need to invest in improvements to ensure that the Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority remains the best resort community housing system in the nation. We must look to develop residential housing that is near employment, transportation hubs and essential services, thus having the greatest impact on the number of cars, on reducing carbon emissions and improving quality of life. We should incentivize developers to include affordable deed-restricted housing in proposed projects. Housing is the single most important stabilizing asset to an individual, family and community. Upon qualifying, tenants of the program shouldn’t fear losing their housing after earning a raise. Rather than penalizing, we should look to incentivize upward mobility that ensures stability and efficient administration.

If given the opportunity to serve on Aspen City Council, I would ensure that all policymaking protects the elements of Aspen we all cherish. We can enhance the experience of living, visiting, recreating and doing business in Aspen without jeopardizing its charm and quality of life.  

Torre

A few issues that we need to be addressing in the near term are the Armory redevelopment, community health, livability and affordability, along with wildfire prevention and preparation. 

The Armory redevelopment is a once-in-an-Aspen opportunity for an accessible, affordable community asset. We should continue to refine both the exterior and the programming. I advocate for Historical Preservation Commission input now, at the early stages, when considerations can be made on suggestions regarding the building exterior. We should amend the current direction to program the top floor for two restaurants with bars. I support a restaurant kitchen and bar service area, but suggest an open floor plan that can house a restaurant and bar, and also host events for nonprofits, locals and visitor weddings and gatherings, an indoor holiday or local market, teen and family nights, community meetings or speakers and many other uses.

Community health, livability and affordability need continual attention and now as much as ever. We must continue to support community connectedness, provide affordable options and maintain locals’ access to goods, services and amenities. We need increased focus on our schools, families and older adults for the programs and support they need. From mental health services to transit and mobility, from recreation programs to inclusive government and all that’s in between, we need to maintain our quality of life and Aspen community.

Wildfire prevention, planning and preparation is the work that we can be doing to address the possibility of this threat. I support the partnership with the Pitkin County, Aspen Fire Department, law enforcement agencies and others in the Roaring Fork Valley coalition. I also support additional efforts by the city to harden our built environment and address the urban and forest interface areas. We can still get more information to the public for planning and preparation in case of any fire-threat scenarios, and allay some of the anxiety that exists.

Christine Benedetti

Great question. I’m glad we’re talking about something besides the entrance because while that is a tough issue, it’s still just one of many, many important decisions the next council will have to make. 

First, affordable housing. This isn’t just another item on our agenda — it’s fundamental to every major decision we make as a city. While we have a detailed housing strategic plan that I’ll work to implement, we need to go further by evaluating every policy decision through the lens of housing impact. Whether we’re discussing transportation, commercial development or sustainability initiatives, we must always ask: How does this affect our workforce housing capacity? Does this help or hinder our residents’ ability to live where they work? This integrated approach moves us beyond viewing housing as a separate issue and recognizes it as the foundation of a thriving community.

Second, we’re losing our “third spaces” — the social centers where people informally interact and build community. This erosion deepens the sense of Aspen’s changing character. I propose reinvigorating these spaces through targeted incentives, subsidies and creative use of city-owned property.

Third, I’ve seen firsthand how child care accessibility directly impacts our workforce stability and economic health. When parents can’t find or afford child care, they can’t work consistently — creating a ripple effect that touches every aspect of our community, from business staffing to housing needs.

While our .45% sales tax that funds Kids First has provided crucial support since 1989, the current reality is troubling: Families are still spending up to 15% of their annual income on child care (even more without financial assistance), and our child care centers must rely heavily on private donations and grants just to maintain quality and affordability. This isn’t sustainable. Child care isn’t just a family issue — it’s essential infrastructure for our community’s economic vitality. By strengthening our child care system, we simultaneously support our workforce, strengthen our local businesses and invest in Aspen’s future generations.

Finally, recent surveys reveal widespread concern about the lack of affordable retail and restaurants downtown. While the city’s role in private enterprise is limited, we need to revisit our chain store policy and explore ways to help small businesses thrive in our core.

Scot Woolley

One of the most pressing issues Aspen faces is affordable community housing. In my lifetime, housing prices have increased by 10,000%, making it nearly impossible for many locals, workers and families to remain in town. While APCHA has been a national leader in affordable housing, its policies must evolve with changing economic conditions. The future of Aspen depends on ensuring that those who contribute to its community, economy and culture have a place to live.

To address this, and as a member of the APCHA Board of Directors, I will advocate for new APCHA initiatives that modernize regulations, increase housing stock and improve affordability across different income levels. Public-private partnerships also will be key to funding and developing affordable housing while preserving Aspen’s small-town character. Additionally, policy reforms are needed to prevent speculative investment in APCHA units and ensure housing remains accessible to the people who need it most.

Another major challenge is building a 365-day economy that supports locals, businesses and visitors throughout the year. Aspen has long relied on seasonal tourism, creating economic instability that affects workers and small businesses alike. The Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s Destination Management Plan highlights the need for diversification, and I fully support efforts to make Aspen a place that thrives year-round.

Expanding cultural, educational and experiential tourism — including arts, thought leadership and outdoor recreation — will attract a broader range of visitors beyond peak ski and summer seasons. Strengthening support for local businesses and entrepreneurs will ensure that Aspen’s economy remains vibrant rather than overly reliant on luxury tourism and residential services. Aspen should lead as a model for sustainable tourism and innovation, setting an example for how mountain towns can balance economic growth with environmental and social responsibility.

By addressing housing and economic diversification together, Aspen can remain a dynamic, sustainable and community-oriented town — not just for visitors, but for the people who call it home.

Most importantly, these efforts will inspire Aspen voters to be more engaged and jettison the feeling of disenfranchisement that 30 years of indecision have created. Voter turnout is dismally low in our community. We need to bring the people back to politics so that our children will have a place to call home that supports them, fosters creativity and drives success. 

John Doyle

Three more large issues facing city council are seeing the Lumberyard housing project through to completion, repurposing Armory Hall and mitigating for wildfires.

With the completion last year of the city’s Burlingame III workforce housing development, we added 79 new units to our community. I am very excited to continue the development of the Lumberyard parcel into 275 (more or less) units of affordable housing as we continue to see more of our workers migrate downvalley.

I’ve been saying this for a while: with the entrance to Aspen, the Lumberyard and the expansion of the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport all being discussed now, shouldn’t we be looking at all comprehensively? All three projects are in relatively close proximity to each other. We need to plan for the future, not for the current situation.

The Armory needs to be redeveloped carefully. I would like to see a community space that is as valued as the Wheeler Opera House and full of vitality. I do have some concerns. The city’s history with food vendors in city-owned buildings has had mixed results, not always in the best interest of the community. I have concerns about unfair competition with other food vendors in regular commercial spaces, such as Big Wrap or the Grateful Deli. Nevertheless, I am excited about the direction the Armory is headed; we just need to get it right.

Wildfire mitigation is an area where we need to improve. Red, Smuggler and Shadow mountains are covered with dead and dying vegetation. Our fire department has been very proactive in their education efforts, but more needs to be done.

The fires here in our own valley as well as recent fires in Lahaina, Maui; Jasper, Alberta; Ruidoso, New Mexico; and Los Angeles should have all our attention. We need to remove the fuel loads from the hillsides closest to town. We need to expand our water storage capacity. I would like to look at updating our building codes to better address our homes and businesses’ ability to survive a fire.

Tyler Wilkinson-Ray

First and foremost is housing. The Aspen community can’t thrive if people can’t live here. Aspen has been a national leader in affordable housing but the duel impact of Airbnb and the COVID real estate boom has virtually eliminated any free-market affordable housing, and the old tools for building affordable housing just aren’t keeping up. 

We need new ideas and new tools. A first priority should be directing more funding to maintaining our existing aging housing stock and making sure to buy up any sunsetting deed restrictions. We then need to update our funding mechanisms. The current fee-in-lieu offset fee is only generating about 70% of cost of actually building the unit it is supposed to funding, so even despite the delay in time it takes to actually build that unit, we’re falling behind in our funding of affordable house. I would support both an increased and graduated fee-in-lieu fee so that our funding is keeping up with the cost of building.

Finally, in addition to supporting the Lumberyard project, we need to prioritize building housing in the city, even if is a series of smaller projects scattered throughout town on small parcels such as the U.S. Forest Service land and the upcoming 1A project. We need to encourage developers to include affordable housing in their project plans and not just pay the site-in-lieu fee, given that it might take 10 years for the city to actually build housing.

Second, we need to reexamine land use codes and how development projects are being approved to ensure that both commercial and residential development is done in a way that works for the Aspen community. Our town is simultaneously under massive reconstruction and also boarded up. East Cooper Avenue (Restoration Hardware, Red Onion) has looked abandoned for years. We need to set incentives or put penalties in place so developers are no longer encouraged to leave buildings empty, such as the Restoration Hardware building or Park and Park apartments. 

We can’t just blame developers like Mark Hunt for trying to make money. That is their job after all, but the city needs to take leadership and set up the regulations so that development is done in a more responsible way. With a massive 1A development in our future, we need to make sure we get this right.