HomeMy WebLinkAboutagenda.council.worksession.20251110AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
November 10, 2025
4:00 PM, City Council Chambers
427 Rio Grande Place, Aspen
I.Work Session
I.A Lumberyard Lottery Priorities
I.B Recreation Facilities Master Plan Updates
II.Council discussion of the items published in the most recent information update,
as needed
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Nov 10 WS Memo - Lumberyard Lottery Priorities r1.pdf
Exhibit A - Presentation Slides r1.pdf
Exhibit B - EPP Implementation Process r1.pdf
251110-Report_Recreation_Facilities_Master_Plan_Update - 1.docx
2025 1110 - Recreation Master Plan City with history.pdf
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chris Everson, Affordable Housing Development Project Mgr.
THROUGH: Rob Schober, Capital Asset Director
MEMO DATE: November 5, 2025
MEETING DATE: November 10, 2025
RE: Lumberyard Lottery Priorities
REQUEST OF COUNCIL: Council is asked to provide direction for drafting a resolution
to memorialize lottery priorities for the Lumberyard affordable housing project.
BACKGROUND: Aspen’s Lumberyard affordable housing development will include 277
affordable rental units with 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. APCHA restrictions apply, and leasing
is expected to begin in 2028.
The Lumberyard development agreement with Gorman & Company gives the City six
months from mid-July to decide on any project-specific lottery priorities. Council decisions
should be memorialized in a resolution so they can be included in a working deed
restriction by mid-January. Staff proposes to draft and present a resolution by end of year
for Council approval.
At a work session on July 21, 2025, staff presented lottery priority possibilities for work
location, work type/essential worker and employer partnerships.
A majority of Council were in favor of a UGB work location priority. Council expressed
concerns about a work type/essential worker priority and requested that staff return with
information about the existing Emergency Worker priority in the APCHA Regulations.
Council discussed the topic of employer partnerships and requested that staff return with
additional information.
DISCUSSION:
Work Location Priority
A majority of Council have previously expressed favor for a work location priority to be
offered based on applicants who work inside Aspen’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). A
similar provision was included in the City’s Burlingame Ranch Phase 3 affordable housing
project. Other options include City limits or none.
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Page 2 of 5
Work Type or Essential Worker Priority
The 2025 APCHA Regulations include an Emergency Worker priority for APCHA-
managed affordable rental units – offering qualified emergency responders top placement
in the lottery.
As currently written, this priority would not apply to the Lumberyard because the
Lumberyard is not planned to be an “APCHA -managed” facility. The Lumberyard will
instead be managed by Gorman & Company under agreement with the City.
Council could choose to make the existing APCHA Emergency Worker provision
applicable to the Lumberyard by including a reference to this provision in the Lumberyard
deed restriction. Other options include creating a one -off definition for essential workers
which would be applicable only to the Lumberyard or none.
Per the APCHA Regulations, an “Emergency worker is defined as: (a) a career employee
or volunteer law, fire, EMS, or Mountain Rescue personnel who are called out to
emergencies; or (b) emergency dispatch staff; or (c) on-call responders that give on-
scene emergency care to victims and who have on call shifts a minimum of eight (8) hours
per day, 14 days a month on an ongoing basis throughout the calendar year; or (d)
hospital medical personnel with a minimum emergency on -call response time of 30
minutes or less and who are scheduled a minimum of eight (8) hours per day, 14 days a
month on an ongoing basis throughout the calendar year.”
The APCHA Regulations continue: “To qualify as an Emergency Worker the Applicant’s
supervisor or employer must verify emergency worker status by completing the
Emergency Worker Verification Worker form. The form must be approved by the employer
and then submitted to the Deputy Director, Compliance for APCHA for final approval.
Once approved, they receive top lottery priority for APCHA-managed rentals regardless
of work history.”
Rental procedures described in the APCHA Regulations also include the following
provisions:
• “Emergency worker status must be verified at least every two (2) years as part of
Tenant Requalification or sooner if required by APCHA.”
• “After four (4) years, an Emergency Worker is not required to maintain emergency
worker status and can remain in deed-restricted housing provided all other
Qualification Requirements are maintained.”
• “An Emergency Worker who no longer qualifies for this priority before to the end
of the four (4) year period will be given until the end of the current lease period to
vacate the unit unless APCHA otherwise decides.”
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Employer Partnership Program (EPP) Priority
To enable the City to recover some of its public investment in the development, an
Employer Partnership Program (EPP) lottery priority could produce revenue for the City
while allowing area employers to support their workers in accessing affordable housing.
How an Employer Partnership Program (EPP) priority could work:
• Local area employers could enter into an EPP agreement with the City of Aspen to
give a number of their workers priority in the Lumberyard housing lottery.
• Workers would need to meet APCHA requirements to apply, and upon obtaining a
lease, would pay rent directly to the operator of the housing facilities.
• Annual billing by the City of Aspen to the employer would occur separate from the
worker’s rent. The annual EPP fee would be based on the number of employees
housed through the EPP priority program during the year.
• A cap on the number of EPP units should be set. A cap of 50 EPP units would create
a strong program and revenue opportunity, although the full cap would not need to be
entirely subscribed. With a max of 50 EPP units, this would leave a minimum of 227
units available to others (although the developer will reserve 6 for its on site staff).
If a basic description of the EPP program is placed in the deed restriction right now, the
City could then spend the next year or two conducting outreach with area employers to
further define program details and fees. See Exhibit B – EPP Implementation Process.
After completing employer outreach, EPP program details, terms, conditions and fees can
be included in EPP agreements with participating area employers.
Alternatively, Council could choose to omit any such provision to maintain more simplified
operations at the Lumberyard.
Downsizing Priority
APCHA’s “Rightsizing Program” aims to increase bedroom utilization in the existing
inventory, although it has seen very limited uptake. The current APCHA Regulations
describe APCHA’s existing “Rightsizing Program” in Part V: Conveyance of an Ownership
Unit as follows:
“Rightsizing means the voluntary purchase and sale of deed -restricted properties in the
APCHA inventory between two (2) Owners as co-applicants for the purpose of increasing
the number of bedrooms for the Owner of a smaller unit and decreasing the number of
bedrooms for the Owner of a larger unit.”
The requirements of the Rightsizing Program in the APCHA Regulations are very specific
to the purchase and sale process and would need to be customized for the sale of a unit
and subsequent leasing of a unit in order to be a fit for the Lumberyard. Options to create
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a fit would require time and effort to formulate and might include some sort of incentive
for households to consider downsizing.
Council could choose to include a placeholder for a Downsizing Priority in the Lumberyard
deed restriction and further program details could later customized which might include
some incentive for downsizing which staff would expect to occur separately and in parallel
with the leasing process for the household downsizing.
FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPACTS:
A UGB or emergency worker priority would not be expected to have budget impacts. An
Employer Partnership Program (EPP) could allow the City to recover some of its public
investment in the development. A Downsizing priority could have benefits in concept but
based on past results would very likely not be impactful.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff proposes to draft and present a resolution by end of year for Council approval to
memorialize Council’s decisions on the following topics:
Work Location Priority
Staff recommends a work location priority based on Aspen’s Urban Growth Boundary
(UGB). This is the same as was done for Burlingame Ranch Phase 3.
Work Type or Essential Worker Priority
Creating a policy for the Lumberyard which would utilize the Emergency Worker lottery
priority in the APCHA Regulations may be a very efficient decision because this approach
would ensure consistency with APCHA’s standards and would allow any future updates
to the APCHA Emergency Worker criteria to automatically apply to the Lumberyard for
the life of the project. Staff recommends this approach in place of either omitting any such
provision or creating a one-off policy applicable only to the Lumberyard.
Employer Partnership Program (EPP) Priority
Staff recommends including a basic description of the EPP program into the Lumberyard
deed restriction – including a cap of 50 EPP units.
Program details, terms, conditions and fees can be worked out over the next year or two
through an employer outreach program, and when finalized, program details, terms,
conditions and fees can be included in EPP agreements with interested area employers.
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Downsizing Priority
APCHA’s Rightsizing program is customized for ownership units and would be a difficult
fit for the developer leasing model. If a Downsizing Priority were included in the
Lumberyard deed restriction, it would require a great deal of customized definition which
would be applicable only to the Lumberyard, and experience suggests that it would have
very limited benefit.
Staff recommends that Council not continue to add complexity which would apply only to
the Lumberyard management operations and instead allow the APCHA Regulations to
evolve and possibly include future downsizing capability for rental units in the inventory.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit A – Presentation Slides
Exhibit B – EPP Implementation Process
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Aspen Lumberyard Affordable Housing
Lumberyard Lottery Priories
November 10, 2025 7
Background
2 of 6
Developer Gorman & Company is
making pre-development progress
City should define project-specific
lottery priorities by end of year
Priorities to be considered:
•Work location
•Work type or Essential worker
•Employer partnership
•Downsizing to a rental unit
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Work Location Priority
3 of 6
Options include:
•City limits
•UGB
•None
Staff recommendation:
•Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
•Same as was done for
Burlingame Ranch Phase 3 9
Work Type or Essential Worker Priority
4 of 6
Options include:
•Emergency Worker per APCHA Regulations
•One-off definition applicable only to Lumberyard
•None
Staff recommendation:
•Emergency Worker per APCHA Re gulations
•Allow criteria to evolve per APCHA
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Employer Partnership Program (EPP) Priority
5 of 6
Options include:
•Include in Deed Restriction (DR)
•Do not include
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Employer Partnership Program (EPP) Priority
6 of 6
Options include:
•Include in Deed Restriction (DR)
•Do not include
Staff recommendation:
•2025 Include basic description in DR
•2025 Cap of 50 units
•2026 Employer outreach to work out
program details & fees
•2026-2027 EPP employer agreements
include details and fees later
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Downsizing (to a rental unit) Priority
7 of 6
Options include:
•Create a new customized operational process for
downsizing to a renal at Lumberyard project
•Do not include customized process
Staff recommendation:
•A customized process applicable only to the
Lumberyard creates unique operational complexity
•By choosing to do nothing, Council essentially
allows the APCHA Regulations to respond to this in
the future based on demand 13
Council Discussion
8 of 6
•Discussion
•Q & A
•Direction
Next work session:
•Developer update
•Early 2026
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Implementing Employer-Partnership Priority (EPP)
Include EPP Priority in
Lumberyard Deed Restriction?
(Yes or No)
EPP Unit Cap? (50 units or other)
WHAT EPP DECISIONS ARE
NEEDED NOW IN 2025?
Employer Outreach
EPP Program Details
Operational Sequence
Terms & Conditions
Fee Structure & Billing
City-Employer Agreements
WHAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT
IN 2026 & 2027?
Emergency Worker Priority? (Yes or No)
UGB Priority (Yes or No)
Downsizing Priority (Yes or No)
Related Items Needed Now
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STAFF REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Scott Chism, Business Services Director
Desiree Whitehead, Recreation Director
THROUGH: Austin Weiss, Parks and Recreation Director
MEETING DATE: November 10, 2025
SUBJECT: Recreation Facilities Master Plan Update: Aspen Recreation Center
and Aspen Ice Garden
__________________________________________________________________
INTENDED OUTCOME:
The Business Services and Recreation Departments are seeking to provide Council with
an update on the Recreation Facilities Master Plan. Staff are requesting guidance from
Council regarding the potential development of expanded facilities at the Aspen
Recreation Center. This initiative aims to address both current and projected community
recreation needs and ensure long-term service sustainability. Additionally, staff seek the
Council’s direction on the strategic importance of maintaining an in-town ice sheet at the
Aspen Ice Garden. This decision will inform future planning efforts and resource allocation
related to ice-based recreation.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The consulting team, Perkins & Will / Rowland + Broughton has been engaged on the
Recreation Facilities Master Plan effort since early 2021. Following City Council and City
Manager direction in late 2022, the project was paused due to other Organization
priorities.
In 2024 the Recreation Department completed an updated Business Plan. This updated
Business Plan helped refine the Recreation Facility Master Plan recommendations you
see today. Adult fitness and wellness, senior programming and community events/space
were top needs coming from the Business Plan community member surveys. These
types of needs have been addressed with this updated proposed facility expansion
concept at the Aspen Recreation Center.
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DISCUSSION:
In 2022, four primary phases of work associated with the Recreation Facilities Master
Plan were established by the consultant and staff team. Those phase s of work include:
Discovery;
Big Ideas;
Making Decisions;
Recommendations;
By December 2022, the Discovery phase of work had been completed and ‘Big Ideas’
were presented to Council regarding the future of the Aspen Recreation Center (ARC)
and the Aspen Ice Garden (AIG). The ‘Big Ideas’ for the two facilities all connect to the
fundamental question of whether the community’s two sheets of publicly accessible ice
are located separately or together in the 20-50 year future of Aspen. At the time of the
presentation, there were other community priorities, so staff were directed to keep
facilities functioning as they are.
Staff took the direction and focused the 2023-2026 Capital improvement work for the
Aspen Recreation Center and Aspen Ice Garden on maintaining and retaining the existing
systems and infrastructure at each facility. The existing conditions at the Aspen Ice
Garden are especially challenging to maintain a comfortable and high -quality customer
experience as this building is over 50 years old. The current long-range plan for Capital
project work at the Aspen Ice Garden and Aspen Recreation Center includes increasingly
expensive repair and renovation work to retain essentially the present level of amenity.
Following the completion of the 2024 Recreation Business Plan and the request of an
update from the newly appointed City Council, staff collaborated with the consulting team
to update the Recreation Facilities Master Plan. This update incorporated previously
gathered information and focused on identifying both current and anticipated community
recreation needs and preferences.
Key findings from the Business Plan highlight a significant demographic shift in Aspen’s
population. In 2023, the median age in Aspen was 43.6 years, notably higher than the
U.S. median age of 38.5 years. Projections indicate that by 2038, approximately 40% of
Aspen’s residents will be aged 55 and older, underscoring the importance of planning
facilities that support an aging community.
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Community survey data from the Business Plan indicates that Adult Fitness and
Wellness is the community’s greatest unmet need:
The Business Plan has also recommended prioritized recreation program areas for
investment based on community survey data. This information has informed the
development of design concepts for the Aspen Recreation Center intended to provide
recreational facility space to better meet current and future recreation needs for the
community.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Recreation Facilities Master Plan update reflects a comprehensive effort to align
future facility development with the evolving needs of Aspen’s community. With clear
demographic trends indicating a growing senior population and survey data highlighting
unmet needs in adult fitness, wellness, and community gathering spaces, the proposed
expansion of the Aspen Recreation Center offers a strategic response to these priorities.
Staff respectfully request City Council’s guidance on two critical decisions: the potential
expansion of the Aspen Recreation Center to meet long-term recreation demands, and
the value of retaining an in-town ice sheet at the Aspen Ice Garden. City Council’s
direction will inform future capital planning, resource allocation, and program
development to ensure Aspen’s recreation infrastructure remains responsive, inclusive,
and sustainable for decades to come.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
While input from Council is being sought to guide future planning for these facilities, the
specific timing around possible facility expansion and/or changes in programming / use
are not suggested to be tackled in the near term. This is in recognition that there are
many other generational projects being advanced in and around the community and the
impacts that those efforts have on our residents, workforce and visitors. Therefore, t his
is only to assist staff to further plan for and advance recreation offerings over the long-
term horizon.
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Recreation Facilities Master Plan Updates
City Council Work Session
Scott Chism,Desiree Whitehead November 10, 202520
Agenda
•History of Recreation Facilities
•Summarize 2022 Recreation Master Plan Conversation with Council
•2024 Recreation Business Plan & Facility Needs
•Current Council Thoughts
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Recreation Facilities
Aspen Ice Garden Aspen Recreation Center Red Brick Gym
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Brown Ice Palace-1965
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Aspen Ice Garden- 1979
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James E. Moore Pool-1972
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Aspen Recreation
Center
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Aspen Recreation Center:
2004-2006
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Aspen Recreation Center: 2007-2009
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Aspen Recreation Center: 2014-2020
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2021 Master Planning Process
Late 2022
Discovery
Review of Previous Studies
Program Priorities
Existing Building Analysis
Site Analysis
Community Input
Big Ideas
Program Opportunities
Initial Building Concepts
Site Test Fits
Cost Estimates
Making Decisions
Council Guidance from Dec
5, 2022 was low priority and
focus on deferred
maintenance of facilities.
Recreation Advisory
Committee Review and
Approval
Planning
Council Guidance- 2025-2026
Cost Estimate Update
New ARC massing concept based on
community recreation priorities
GOAL: Council Consensus
Final Master Planning report
We are here
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Extensive Community Input
•2009 ARC Advisory Committee Aspirations and Action
•2015 Assessments and Capital Accumulations Plan
•2015 PROS Aspen Recreation Business Plan Update
•2019 Novak Organizational Parks and Recreation Assessment
•2020 SFA Market Opportunity Report
•2024 PROS Aspen Recreation Business Plan Update
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Summary 2022 Options
Ice Stays at Ice Garden
•Replace Ice Garden Current Location
•Add Subgrade Parking
•Add Limited Housing
•Improve player and spectator areas
•Improve Gathering and Food Service
ARC
•Add gymnasium and fitness addition
•Add outdoor spray ground / aquatics
•Internal Renovation and Program
Improvements
Master Plan Option 1 Master Plan Option 2
Recreation Use Downtown
•Recreational Uses at Ice Garden Site
•Add Gymnasium, Fitness and Youth Activities
•New Parking
•Adds Housing
ARC
•Add second Ice sheet subgrade below rooftop fields
•Add Gymnasium and Fitness Addition
•Add outdoor spray ground / Aquatics
•Internal Renovation and Program Improvements
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Council Feedback from December 2022 meeting:
•AIG and Red Brick would remain
the same uses
•AIG requires larger Capital projects
to retain functionality as a public
ice arena.
o HVAC System Overhaul
o Roof Replacement
•Emphasis on a Capital Maintenance Plan for
larger facility needs:
AIG
Replacement of Ammonia
Refrigeration System (2026)
ARC
Replaster Lap Pool (2026)
Pool Drains Remove & Replace (2026)
Boiler Vessels Replacement (2026)
Pool Ozone & Chlorine System Controls
(2026)
LIA Evaporative Condenser (2025)
ARC Siding Replacement (2025)
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2025
Concept for the ARC
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2024 Recreation Business Plan
Statistically Valid Survey Completed in 2023 (318 completed
surveys)
Recreation Program Importance: Below are the four most
important programs to residents:
•Adult fitness and wellness programs (41%)
•Adult biking (24%)
•Community events (19%)
•Water fitness classes/lap swimming (19%)
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How can the City best address the top (3) INDOOR Community Priorities?
1.Adult fitness and wellness programs
2.Community events and spaces
3.Senior Programming
Recommendation: ARC building addition and renovation increasing multi-use recreational space for
all ages supporting the three top priorities:
•Gymnasium / Walking Track
•Health / Wellness Fitness Areas
•Group Exercise
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Moving Forward 2024-2025
Program - ARC Addition and Renovation
Gymnasium and Fitness Center Addition:
2-court gymnasium with elevated running track
Larger entry with new control desk
Staff Office Suite
Cardio/Weight Room and Free Weight Area
Wellness and Fitness Studio
Support spaces
Storage, Mechanical and Electrical Rooms
Increase Housing on North side
Renovate Existing ARC:
Lobby/ Gathering Space at the new main entry
with concessions or café
Enhanced youth areas
Additional community meeting and gathering
spaces
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Main Entry Upgrade
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Gymnasium / Walking Track
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Health / Wellness Fitness Areas
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Group Exercise
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Master Plan ARC Update
Add/Enhance Community Recreational Opportunities at the ARC
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Upper Level
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Lower Level
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Mechanical Basement Level
45
Proposed Recreation Center Expansion
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Thank You
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Supplemental
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View of Entry from the Parking Lot
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