Aspen council backs UGB work-location priority for Lumberyard, asks staff to draft Dec. 2 resolution

Mayor Rachel Richards opened the work session’s first agenda item and asked staff to hear from Chris Everson about priorities for the Lumberyard affordable-housing project. Everson, the city’s affordable-housing development project manager, told the council the city is under contract with developer Gorman and Company and has “until around mid January to codify any of these priorities.”

Council discussed using a work-location priority tied to the urban growth boundary (UGB), citing a Burlingame Ranch Phase 3 precedent that applied the UGB priority to sales and resales. Everson said staff will draft deed restrictions that reference APHA regulations as the baseline and add any council-directed priorities. Mayor Rachel Richards asked staff to “shoot for December 2 so deadlines don’t slip,” and staff confirmed they would prepare a resolution for council consideration on Dec. 2 (Dec. 16 if necessary). The council’s direction gives staff sufficient instruction to turn the UGB priority into enforceable deed language and return with a draft resolution.