Locals rally to protect Aspen’s parks and open spaces ahead of March election

To safeguard Aspen’s cherished parks and open spaces, according to a press release, a coalition of residents has formed the “Our Parks Our Open Space” committee, urging voters to back Referendum 1 and reject Referendum 2 in the upcoming municipal election. With prominent figures such as former Aspen Mayor Bill Stirling and former City Councilman Terry Paulson lending their support, the committee advocates for stricter protections against the sale or development of the city’s 32 parks and 37 open spaces.

Referendum 1 proposes increasing the voter approval threshold required to repurpose or sell parkland from 50% to 60%. This change, according to committee treasurer Sue Atkinson, is crucial to preserving Aspen’s character and ensuring that decisions with long-term impacts are backed by strong community support, according to a press release. The measure comes after decades of contentious proposals targeting Aspen’s green spaces, including plans to convert Wagner Park into an underground parking facility and repeated attempts to push a four-lane highway through Marolt Open Space. 

The narrowly approved Gorsuch Haus proposal in 2019, which rezoned conservation land on Aspen Mountain, serves as a reminder of the divisive nature of such projects, according to the press release.

“The government and private developers should be required to come up with excellent plans that gain support from a firm majority of voters before they can convert our parks and open spaces into radically different uses,” Atkinson explained in the press release. “This ballot initiative will ensure that.”

In contrast, Referendum 2 seeks to grant the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) the authority to build a four-lane highway across Marolt Open Space without further voter approval, according to a press release. 

Critics, including the committee, argue the measure undermines the very protections Referendum 1 aims to establish.

“The backers of Referendum 2 know their plan to build a new highway across Marolt Open Space won’t gain broad public support because it does nothing to solve Aspen’s traffic woes,” Atkinson said in the press release. “They are trying to sneak this bad idea past the electorate now because they are afraid Referendum 1 will pass.”

Aspenites can learn more, sign up for updates, and add their support at ourparksouropenspace.org.

Committee members include: Bill Stirling, Terry Paulson, Howie Mallory, Blanca & Cavanaugh O’Leary, Helen Palmer, Ruth Harrison, Neil & Elizabeth Siegel, Jeff Grinspoon & Jon Foley, John & Jeannie Seybold, Alex Palmaz, Laurel Catto, Carol Bloomquist, Ginger Kennington, Jane Carey, Catherine Hagen, and David Elgart.