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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcclc.min.081518 1 REGULAR MEETING COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION AUGUST 15, 2018 Chairperson Steve Fante opened the meeting at 8:36 a.m. Commissioners in attendance: Steve Fante, Bill Dinsmoor, Terry Butler, Amanda Tanaka, Angi Wang, Kiki Raj, Charles Cunniffe. Staff present: Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk Mitch Osur, Parking Services Director Other attendees/future member: Jeb Ball Special guests: Jeanette Darnauer of the Darnauer Group, LLC alongside Bobbi Berkley and Allison Miller. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: None. Ms. Darnauer kicked off the meeting and introduced herself as well as Ms. Berkley and Ms. Miller. She said they were hired by the city to do community outreach regarding the “mobility lab” and a potential transportation program called “Shift”, which is an evolution of the mobility lab. She said they would like to have a quiet conversation with many different groups and meet with people from a variety of industries regarding what the city would like to do next summer and then they will share with staff and city council so they can decide how to proceed. They’ve developed a process to give feedback to the city and will convey questions that come to them from these conversations. This is an opportunity for the community to weigh in. We have gone out and spoken one on one with the community leaders in lots of different areas in the business and the public sector. There are pop up questionnaire opportunities currently at the Snowmass concerts and First Fridays in Carbondale where people can weigh in, etc. There is also a website: shiftaspen.com, which people can go on and submit their opinions. We are trying to open many opportunities for commentary from individuals and our hope is to hear from everyone. Ms. Darnauer asked each member to share their personal travel issues. Ms. Berkley told them to think about how you get in and out of Aspen personally and how you would describe the traffic. Ms. Raj said she would describe it all as construction traffic. Ms. Tanaka said she avoids driving between 630 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and she avoids leaving town between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Everyone collectively tries to avoid and adjusts their schedules to avoid the reality of the traffic. Mr. Cunniffe said the airport to Main Street is a forced funnel. Mr. Fante said that people who live in Aspen have the voting rights and that’s why the down valley people feel like the outsiders and now businesses are having trouble filling jobs because people don’t want to commute up here. Mr. Cunniffe says his employees feel like they are unwelcome and punitive. The experience of getting here really turns them off and he has had new potential employees choose to take jobs in other locations just because of the travel difficulties with getting into Aspen. A long group discussion took place. Mr. Dinsmoor said this is old news. What does the city want you ladies to do? 2 REGULAR MEETING COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION AUGUST 15, 2018 Mr. Cunniffe said that we need to just make the roundabout function for cars to come into town not to keep cars from coming into town. Instead of trying to keep people out, make it easier for people to come in. Mr. Fante agreed that we are a resort town so what is the point of making it so difficult for people to come in. Mr. Osur said it’s a will vs. reality issue. Ms. Darnauer passed around fliers and brochures for three different concepts: one is for changes at the intercept park n ride, another is for the Buttermilk park n ride and the third is for around town transportation. She also mentioned a mobile reward app, which is not avail yet, that would give gift cards to people for using the proposed services. This is an idea for next summer and would be available at that time. Mr. Fante said he feels we’re being force fed and none of us think this is going to work, although some people think the ideas for the intercept lot might work for a short period of time. It’s a piece meal approach to solving the problem. Ms. Tanaka said the intercept lot is a desolate place so offering food and coffee might get a few more people to stop. Ms. Berkley asked how they compare transportation to housing as an issue and Mr. Dinsmoor said we need more housing obviously. Mr. Cunniffe said there are so many employers that can’t pay employees enough to live in Aspen so they are moving down valley and now working down valley or just leaving the valley altogether because it’s too hard. Ms. Berkley asked if there is anything the city could do to get people out of single occupancy cars and Mr. Cunniffe asked what is wrong with that? Let people drive their car and get to work however they wish to. MOTION: Mr. Fante motioned to approve the draft minutes of August 1st, Ms. Wang seconded. All in favor, motion carried. MOTION: Mr. Fante motioned to adjourn, Ms. Wang seconded at 10:00 a.m. _________________________________________________ Nicole Henning, Deputy City Clerk