Snowmass Council Stalls $39.3M Transit Center Over Public Feedback

Aspen —$39.3 million. That is the price tag for a two-level transit center in Snowmass Village, a project that has been on the town’s drawing board since 1986. The plan is currently stalled, not because of a lack of engineering data, but because the Town Council cannot agree on whether they have heard enough from the people who actually live and work in the mall.

The Aspen Times reported that council members are split on how to proceed following an Aug. 27 roundtable. That meeting presented one-level and two-level design options to stakeholders like the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, Aspen Skiing Company, and local businesses. Council Member Britta Gustafson said she heard strong support from mall business owners, describing a sentiment to "rip off the Band-Aid and do it all at once." Mayor Alyssa Shenk pushed back, noting that few business owners actually attended the roundtable; the room was filled with stakeholders who already support the project.

The core of Monday’s debate was public feedback. Council Member Susan Marolt stated she needs more input from the general community before moving forward. Council Member Cecily DeAngelo agreed, demanding a "bigger public process." On the other side of the table, Council Member Tom Fridstein argued that the community has been "talking about it for 40 years." Gustafson wants to set a deadline for public input, arguing the transit center is a prerequisite for other infrastructure projects coming down the pipe.

Let’s do the math on the timeline. An Aspen Times article from 1986 mentioned a "Daly Lane Alternation" intended to improve traffic flow. Movement stalled for decades until 2019, when the town conducted a feasibility study. It went on hold again until 2024, when Snowmass Director of Transportation Sam Guarino returned with the $39.3 million two-level design. Concerns over that cost led to discussions of a phased approach in January 2025. Then, in 2025, the town cut preliminary construction from its 2026 budget, citing "construction fatigue" and a lack of community interest.

Despite cutting the construction funds, $9.3 million remains allocated for continued designing and planning. On paper, that is a significant sum to spend on blueprints for a project the town has already decided it isn’t ready to build. In practice, that money is going toward refining a plan that may not get approved for years.

For neighbors in the valley, this limbo is expensive. Every year the project sits on hold, the town spends millions on engineering and design while the traffic problems in the mall persist. The council is debating process, but the residents are paying for it. The $39.3 million estimate is for construction; the $9.3 million in the current budget is just to keep talking about it. If the council cannot agree on what constitutes "enough" public feedback, that $9.3 million is going to vanish into another round of studies while the same cars clog Daly Lane. The town has spent four decades discussing this. It is time to decide if they are building it or not, and stop paying for the privilege of waiting.