Let’s protect Aspen’s open spaces from highways and other bad ideas

Bill Stirling, Guest Commentary Feb 20, 2025

One of the wonderful things that makes Aspen unique among Colorado ski towns is our large open space lands that greet people at both ends of town. Back in the 1980s, the city of Aspen wisely purchased and protected the Marolt-Thomas Open Space at the west entrance to town, and shortly thereafter Jimmy Smith worked out an arrangement with Pitkin County to sell and donate his North Star Ranch at the east end of Aspen.

The open space and North Star Preserve create public green spaces without sprawl that are open for all our citizens and visitors to enjoy, both visually and through fun experiences in every season. They also serve as important buffers in the event a wildfire breaks out.

Referendum 2 is an attempt to give CDOT a right-of-way across the Marolt-Thomas Open Space based on a 27-year-old plan. In addition to being out of date, the Referendum 2 highway alignment does not solve our traffic problems. It will be prohibitively expensive, and take many years to complete.

This proposed new highway, better known as the “straight shot,” would cut across the Marolt-Thomas Open Space with just one lane in each direction for private vehicles, and one in each direction exclusively for buses. The time saved for bus riders is estimated at 1-3 minutes. Zero time would be saved for those of us in private vehicles.

The straight shot would cut right through the heart of our open space and over a new bridge across Castle Creek. Once traffic crosses the bridge, it encounters a new traffic light at Seventh and Main streets. The people living in affordable housing along the quiet part of Main Street, between Seventh and Eighth streets, will be overwhelmed with all-day traffic and idling cars, trucks and buses approaching the new traffic light.

Also, every vehicle coming from the new “dead end” at Cemetery Lane will have to drive into Aspen and wait in long lines at the Seventh and Main Street traffic light, no matter if they are coming into town or heading downvalley toward the schools, hospital or Aspen Business Center. What a bottleneck that intersection will be every morning with kids trying to get to school and other early morning traffic traveling in from the McClain Flats Road.

The city of Aspen’s own studies reveal that Referendum 2 would result in no reduction in traffic congestion and no reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This plan would degrade our open space and harm the ecologically valuable riparian zone on the banks of Castle Creek.

How does this address climate change or improve access into Aspen? By the city of Aspen’s own admission, it won’t improve either. The straight shot simply moves our traffic problem over to the Marolt-Thomas Open Space. I strongly oppose Referendum 2.

It is important for Aspen to protect and retain control over the future of Marolt-Thomas Open Space. It is equally important to protect all of our parks and open spaces. That is why I support Referendum 1.

Referendum 1 would require a public election with 60% approval from Aspen voters for any significant changes to our public parks and open spaces. If any public entity or private developer wants to radically repurpose one of our parks or open spaces with a different use, it seems smart that they should be required to come up with a plan that garners broad community support, beyond 50.01% of the electorate.

Let’s elect leaders who will address the repairs to the Castle Creek Bridge, and consider possibly adding a third lane.

Vote yes on Referendum 1 and no on Referendum 2.

Bill Stirling was the mayor of Aspen from 1983-1991.