Aspen Discusses Lift One Corridor Project
Aspen City Council convened examined the evolving financial and logistical landscape of the Lift One Corridor project, with particular emphasis on the Willoughby Park component.
No decisions were made during a Monday work session, but the meeting served to inform council members of the current project timeline, existing agreements, and the scope of the city’s financial commitments, especially those tied to discretionary elements such as the proposed adaptive reuse of the historic pool house.
The Lift One Corridor plan, approved by voters in March 2019 after a narrowly divided public vote, represents a complex public-private partnership between the city of Aspen, OKO Group, Lift One Lodge, the Aspen Skiing Company, and the Aspen Historical Society.
The plan aims to return a functional ski lift — Lift 1 — closer to Dean Street, thus restoring the historic connection between downtown Aspen and the original base of Aspen Mountain. Key elements of the plan include the construction of a new telemix lift, a redesigned base area, a skier return path near Dean Street, and the relocation and restoration of historic buildings such as the Skier’s Chalet Lodge and Steakhouse, as well as the Lift 1 towers and gantry.
The Willoughby Park project, one of the initiative’s central components, seeks to knit together a cohesive network of green spaces along the corridor, linking the new park with Lift 1 while maintaining Dolinsek Gardens as a standalone parcel. That effort was made possible in part by the 2014 transfer of land from the Dolinsek family to the city and a strategic land exchange that followed.
Dedicated in 2023, Dolinsek Gardens now serves as a contemplative urban greenspace. The adjacent unification of park parcels allows for improved circulation and the preservation of key cultural artifacts, including the historic Lift 1 structure, now situated within Willoughby Park.
While the city has committed a fixed contribution of $4.36 million — currently held in escrow—for public improvements along Dean Street, additional responsibilities have fallen to the Parks and Open Space Department that were not anticipated in the original funding ordinance. These include final grading, topsoil application, and other enhancements throughout the park system. As a result, further appropriations will be required to complete the city’s share of the work.
Council members did express concerns over potential leaking due to the current design.
During the session, City Council deliberated over whether to proceed with optional features, including the proposed conversion of the historic pool house into a functioning restroom.
Council member Bill Guth raised concerns about the financial feasibility of this proposal, noting that costs could significantly exceed original projections.
“I am passionate about the historic parts of this property, but we will spend twice the proposed budget, if not three times as much,” Guth said. He questioned whether the pool house — never designed as a restroom—was the most practical facility for that use, and suggested exploring alternatives in nearby buildings.
Council member John Doyle expressed dismay over the total cost of the improvements and suggested that greater financial transparency during the 2019 election might have altered the outcome.
“I am disappointed that four and a half million dollars wasn’t foreseen for an existing park into a better park,” Doyle said.
He added that had the electorate been presented with a clearer understanding of the total financial ask, including the $4.6 million ultimately approved by the council, public sentiment may have shifted.
Mayor Rachael Richards framed the project as an essential balancing act between honoring Aspen’s legacy and adapting to inevitable change.
“This, to my mind, respects the past, and is part of a lot of changing that we are all experiencing,” Richards said.
She acknowledged that earlier, more ambitious designs were scaled back for fear they would not survive a public vote and that those decisions had long-term consequences.
“The concern over growth and impact on the community is ever present, but this was approved by voters,” she said, adding that, depending on one’s perspective, the city is doing its best with the outcome voters supported.
Although the work session concluded without formal action, the discussion illuminated the challenges facing the project’s next phases. Council members will continue shaping implementation through future funding allocations and design refinements, as the Lift One Corridor moves from concept to reality.