HomeMy WebLinkAboutGreg LucasThe city attorney has told me the city council is taking public comments regarding the project at 1020 E Cooper until April 9th. Please see my submission below. I deeply care about this
town and I'm very concerned that overdevelopment will make it unrecognizable in the years to come. Regards, Greg Lucas
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Dear City Council members,
I am a resident of Aspen for over twenty years. I observe local city council and HPC hearings as someone interested in keeping Aspen from being overdeveloped and turning into a town
we no longer recognize. As you know, there is a lot of emotion across our community regarding the overdevelopment of Aspen. The case of 1020 E Cooper is just a micro example of this
issue. Let’s look at the facts of the HPC’s decision to reject the project at 1020 E Cooper.
First, the use of the property is irrelevant in decision making regarding this property. The developers are trying to distract everyone from the mass and scale issues by playing on sympathy
for affordable housing. As much as we all want more affordable housing, that doesn’t mean one can break all the HPC and land use rules in pursuit of achieving that goal. The very purpose
of the HPC is to prevent the construction of mega-structures like this and to protect the history and legacy of our town.
The 1020 E Cooper project breaks several HPC codes including the following –
10.8 - Design an addition to be compatible in size and scale with the main building.
The fact is the proposed addition is almost 300% the size of the main building.
10.11 - Roof forms shall be compatible with the historic building.
The fact is the roof form of the addition completely overwhelms the historic building.
11.3 - Construct a new building to appear similar in scale and proportion with the historic buildings on a parcel.
The fact is the new building is almost 300% the size of the historic building.
11.4 - Design a front elevation to be similar in scale to the historic building.
The fact is the primary plane of the addition is much taller than the historic building.
Overturning the HPC’s decision would be political suicide by alienating half of Aspen (all of East Aspen and all others opposed to overdevelopment). Such decision would clearly paint
the picture of City Council siding with big business versus the residents of Aspen. It also would
result in a lawsuit from neighbors (and the previous owner whose project was denied by City Council due to mass and scale) that would tie the project up for years. It would be a losing
result for everyone involved.
The right answer is of course for City Council to be the voice of reason and recommend the project be downsized to meet HPC guidelines. The developer’s argument is that they will not
make any money should the project be downsized. Why is that the city’s problem? If the developer cannot make the economics work while complying with HPC code, then they should sell
the property to someone else.
We as a community can do better and push for a solution that works within the historic guidelines that were put in place to protect Aspen.
Thank you
Greg Lucas
210 E Hyman Ave