The Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to overrule the Planning and Zoning Commission’s finding that the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Modernization Program does not conform with county master plans, clearing the way for a multi-year redesign of Sardy Field’s runway, terminal, and landside facilities. The first-reading vote came after more than two hours of public comment, with a second reading and public hearing set for May 27. The board also dissolved the county’s Citizen Weed Advisory Board, approved a $180,000 jail-based behavioral services grant, and endorsed a drought-resilience research project in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Proclamation
The board opened the meeting by presenting a proclamation recognizing Public Service Workers Recognition Week. The proclamation was presented to Kara Silbernagel, the county’s policy and project manager, on behalf of county employees.
Airport Modernization Program: BOCC Overrules P&Z
The airport item, moved to last on the agenda, drew the largest crowd and most sustained debate of the five-hour meeting. In mid-May, the Planning and Zoning Commission found the Airport Modernization Program — known as ASE AMP — not in conformance with the 2012 Aspen Area Community Plan, the 2013 West of Maroon Creek Master Plan, and provisions of the Woody Creek and Brush Creek master plans. The county commission took up the resolution at first reading Wednesday and voted unanimously to override that finding.
Deputy County Manager Ryan Mahoney presented a timeline of the project, noting it traces back to a 2012 airport master plan and has included more than 120 community volunteers, 141 hours of public meetings over 15 months, 63 working group meetings, and four open houses attended by more than 400 people. Voters affirmed the project three times: in 2024, ballot question 1C — reaffirming the BOCC’s authority to approve and implement the airport layout, including the runway expansion and relocation — passed with 67 percent support; ballot question 200, which would have limited that authority, was defeated by 60 percent of voters; and a 2025 measure authorizing debt issuance for the airport enterprise passed with 63 percent support.
The modernization program encompasses three main components. On the airfield, the project calls for relocating runway 15/33 approximately 80 feet to the west and widening it from 100 to 150 feet to meet FAA standards, relocating navigation aids, reconstructing the de-ice pad, and developing a new commercial apron. Owl Creek Road would shift about 1,800 feet west to accommodate the realignment, and a section of Owl Creek itself would be piped where it intersects the expanded runway footprint. A new commercial terminal, currently in the 130,000-square-foot range during schematic design, would replace the existing facility, and FBO operator Atlantic Aviation would develop its own east-side terminal and hangar. The construction program runs from 2026 through 2030, with the runway closure planned for approximately April through November 2027.
Airport Director Diane Jackson told the board that the current runway is funded entirely by local airport enterprise dollars — approximately $7 million in fiscal year 2025 and $6 million in 2026 — because the FAA has withheld grant funding since the county’s approved airport layout plan departed from FAA standards. Jackson said the FAA has stated clearly that the next federal dollar available to the airport will be tied to the runway shift. The board also approved a separate $503,636 state aeronautics grant for runway 15/33 reconstruction design earlier in the meeting, as well as an emergency resolution authorizing an application for a state grant to fund an airport management internship program; Jackson confirmed the internship offer had been accepted by a recent aviation management graduate of Utah State University.
The Planning and Zoning Commission’s non-conformance finding centered on concerns about terminal size, parking, multimodal transportation planning, and environmental impacts including ultrafine particles from jet exhaust. G.R. Fielding, airfield program manager with consultant firm Jacobsen Daniels, presented the technical case for the project, covering the runway relocation, terminal design, and the airport’s noise and air quality monitoring programs.
Commissioner Patti Clapper said the board has spent hundreds of hours on the project and that she felt comfortable overruling P&Z on that basis alone. Commissioner Ted Mahon, the newest board member, cited the three ballot outcomes as his guide. Commissioner Greg Poschman described traveling through nine airports in the U.S. and Europe and said it showed communities can maintain their character while modernizing infrastructure. Commissioner Francie Jacober read aloud from a letter received that day — saying it characterized continued debate as “literal insanity” and called for the board to act on the voters’ mandate — and said she agreed. Chair Jeffrey Woodruff thanked the Planning and Zoning Commission for its diligence, said the hours invested by the full team will benefit the community, and said he will vote to move the project forward.
Before voting, the board agreed to add four findings to the resolution: excluding the sagebrush parcel depicted in the West of Maroon Creek Master Plan from the temporary consolidated rental car facility and directing that use to Brush Creek Park and Ride instead; language acknowledging the programmatic drivers of terminal square footage including TSA requirements and back-of-house staff space; a commitment to continue tracking noise and air quality emissions to meet or exceed federal standards; and a correction of a typographical error that changed the word “landslide” in the resolution. A misspelling of Colorado in the agenda title was also flagged for correction.
Public comment on the airport item ran approximately two hours. Business owners and hospitality industry representatives said the deteriorating runway costs them customers and revenue. Travel and Leisure magazine ranked Aspen’s airport the worst in North America, a statistic cited by multiple speakers. Opponents of the override — including a former Aspen mayor, a Planning and Zoning commissioner speaking as a private citizen, and physicist Amory Lovins, president of Aspen Fly Right, appearing online — argued the project should return to P&Z with additional information, that ultrafine particle pollution from jet engines poses unmeasured health risks, and that the public process had not been guided by community input. The public hearing remains open and will continue at the May 27 second reading.
Weed Advisory Board Dissolved; BOCC Takes Over
The board approved a resolution terminating the county’s Citizen Weed Advisory Board and vesting its duties and authority in the commissioners themselves. Staff members Romany Iacono and Anne Marie McPhee presented the item at second reading. The board directed staff to schedule a summer work session to brief commissioners on their new responsibilities as the local noxious weed advisory authority. Staff noted the board in question addresses noxious weeds on the Colorado State Weed List — not cannabis.
Jail Behavioral Services Grant Renewed
Commissioners unanimously approved a sixth amendment to the county’s contract with the Colorado Department of Human Services Behavioral Health Administration, providing $180,000 for the jail-based behavioral services program. Dan Fellin, Detention Division Chief for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, said the funding covers subcontracted mental health and case management services as well as release kits for indigent individuals leaving custody — including backpacks with hygiene supplies, food, gift cards to local retailers, and bus passes. The program does not distribute cash. The agreement was set for a second reading and public hearing on May 27.
Drought Resilience Research Endorsed
Commissioners approved a resolution endorsing a letter of support for the Agricultural Drought Resiliency Project in the Roaring Fork Valley, entering its third and fourth years. Paul Holsinger, the county’s Agriculture and Conservation Easement Manager, and Drew Walters, the county’s agricultural specialist and part-time Colorado State University extension agent, briefed the board on biochar and soil treatment research conducted in partnership with Lotic Hydrological and the Roaring Fork Conservancy. Walters said the study is now in a monitoring-only phase, requiring about 40 hours of county staff time per year. One commissioner asked whether negative preliminary findings — including evidence that biochar application without accompanying fertilizer may deplete plant-available nutrients in certain soils — was grounds to halt the project; Walters said completing the monitoring cycle will give local producers reliable guidance specific to valley soil types and climate conditions.
Snowmass Village Housing Unit Cleared for Sale
At first reading, the board approved an ordinance authorizing the conveyance of a deed-restricted unit at 35 Lower Woodridge Road, Unit T170, in Snowmass Village. Andrew Miller, Housing Program Analyst, said the county purchased the unit in late January and, at the board’s direction, offered it to county employees rather than adding it to the rental inventory pool. One employee accepted. The unit is a 1,256-square-foot, three-bedroom condominium under contract to sell for $6,449,933, with quarterly HOA dues of $4,868 that cover most utilities. Sale proceeds return to the 2026 capital fund to offset the deed-restricted housing program’s costs. Second reading is set for May 27.
Three Meadows Ranch Management Agreement
Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing a memorandum of understanding with Eagle County for the joint management of Three Meadows Ranch, a property Pitkin County purchased with Eagle County in a partnership that also includes Aspen Valley Land Trust. Gary Tennenbaum, Director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, said the MOU formalizes the funding mechanism by which the two counties reconcile shared management expenses at year end. He said annual costs are lower than initially projected — early estimates of $500,000 per year did not materialize — though fencing repairs and wildlife inventory work add one-time costs. Second reading is set for May 27.
Greenhouse Gas Inventory Agreement Approved
Commissioners approved, at second reading, an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Aspen, Town of Snowmass Village, and Town of Basalt to complete an update to the Pitkin County Regional Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The item had been continued from the April 22 meeting while attorneys for participating jurisdictions reviewed and clarified contract language. No further changes were made and the resolution passed unanimously.
Human Services Policies Updated; Contracts Confirmed
In two unanimous second-reading votes, commissioners adopted updated Human Services Department policies aligning county rules with state-mandated statutes for the department’s economic services and family services teams, and confirmed acceptance of state and local contracts and grants entered by the Human Services director under authority of a 2025 board resolution. Kelly Medina, interim Human Services director, presented both items alongside staff members Keli Kirkpatrick and Norma Saldana.
Growth Management Allotment Forwarded
The board received, without action required, the forwarding of a Planning and Zoning Commission resolution allocating a growth management quota system allotment for 600 additional square feet of residential floor area to a property at 290 Heather Lane, Meadowood Subdivision, in Aspen. The allotment was the only application submitted from a 2,500-square-foot pool available as of January 15, 2026, and was granted unanimously by P&Z on May 5. The forwarding to the BOCC is a standard code requirement during the appeal period; no board action was required.
Beyul Retreat Annual Review Approved
Commissioners approved the 2025 operating year annual review for the Cast Iron Cascade LLC/Beyul Retreat Center, a 32-acre guest ranch and retreat property on Frying Pan Road. The approval also included historic designation review for a dilapidated tack shed on the property and authorization of a 180-day temporary tent permit for the 2026 season. Senior Planner Tami Kochen presented the item, noting staff found the applicant in compliance with the conditions of the 2025 approval: the temporary tent came down before the October 31 deadline, all prior notices of violation were resolved, a staff cabin occupancy covenant was recorded, a liquor license was obtained, all structures were addressed for emergency response purposes, and the required Frying Pan Community Day was held in July 2025 with 12 attendees.
The applicant, Abby Stern, appearing remotely, said Beyul hosted approximately 53 retreat programs in 2025 averaging about 34 guests each. She said construction of a permanent gathering hall — approved in last year’s resolution — was postponed to begin in fall 2026 to avoid disrupting booked guests, with completion targeted before the 2027 summer season. The board approved continued use of the existing temporary tent for the 2026 season.
The historic designation request concerned a deteriorating tack shed on the property. A county historic preservation officer has been working with the applicant on a stabilization covenant, and an engineer has prepared a stabilization plan to prevent the structure from collapsing under snow load. The applicant said she has sought 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor partnerships to access state historic preservation grants but has not yet secured one.
Neighbor Debbie Bain testified online that noise from events at Beyul — including an incident in which approximately 85 guests generated loud outdoor noise for five hours — has persisted over four years and is affecting her health. Bryan Daugherty, a county environmental health specialist, said no noise readings at the property line have exceeded the county’s limit of 50 decibels at night and 55 decibels during the day, though he acknowledged those measurements are logistically challenging to obtain. Staff reported 15 complaints were filed against the retreat by a single neighbor during 2025; all were investigated and either resolved or found to require no corrective action.
A separate complaint involved a glass-and-reclaimed-material art installation on the property. The Roaring Fork Fire Protection Authority determined the glass posed a potential fire risk if positioned close to the ground near combustible material and recommended removal or mitigation. The applicant agreed to place non-combustible material on the ground beneath the installation as a condition of approval.
Public Comment and Commissioner Comments
Two members of the public spoke during the general public comment period at the meeting’s opening. Ellen Anderson of Aspen Village raised concerns about access to county contractors — specifically her inability to reach G.R. Fielding of Jacobsen Daniels to verify statements he made about Owl Creek Road at an Airport Advisory Board meeting — and said a contract with air quality consultants Mead and Hunt that provides for public interaction with those consultants has not been honored. A second speaker, who did not identify himself by name, praised the caliber of Pitkin County employees and asked a general question about the public process for location-and-extent applications. Commissioner Woodruff noted at the outset that early drought conditions are affecting the area; the City of Aspen has issued water restrictions, but the county, which has no municipal water supply, does not.
Consent Items
Minutes of the April 22, 2026 regular meeting were approved without discussion.
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