Pitkin County planning commission continues airport modernization hearing amid noise and air‑quality worries

The Pitkin County Planning & Zoning Commission on April 7 continued a public hearing on the Aspen airport modernization program after hearing technical briefings from county staff, aviation consultants and Atlantic Aviation and extensive public comment about noise and air quality.

Planning staff opened the session by framing the review as a location‑and‑extent determination: whether the proposed work conforms with the Aspen Area Community Plan (2012) and the Western Maroon Creek master plan. Staff and the project team said the modernization comprises three linked efforts — airfield/runway work, a new commercial terminal and landside improvements, and East Side FBO redevelopment — and that the review packet and draft resolution were provided to the commission.

Project scope, schedule and funding Program staff and design teams described the planned changes in detail. The runway will shift roughly 80 feet west and be widened to about 150 feet; taxiway geometry largely remains but apron and de‑ice facilities will be reconstructed to current standards. Enabling work scheduled for 2026 includes a roughly 400‑foot culvert extension for Owl Creek and relocation of a short section of Owl Creek Road and the adjacent trail. The project team said enabling work would preserve airport operations and that the runway closure needed to perform the runway move is planned for spring 2027 (an April–November closure period was cited), with the larger program moving through 2028–2030 for subsequent work.

Designers said schematic terminal design is currently in the 130,000–140,000 square‑foot range, with programming…