Editor:

How many times have we heard “Aspen is so beautiful with views of the mountains, sunsets, sunrises, fresh air and green grass. No big buildings to block out the views. We come here to get away from the city and big buildings.” Aspen is such a breath of fresh air.

Then, under the leadership of the last Mayor, the most familiar message was...too much traffic, too much congestion, too many big buildings, losing the character which made Aspen the best place to be, whether you worked, lived or visited here.

Now with a new mayor and City Council who are serious about restoring Aspen’s vitality and approving developments that are only in character and scale of existing neighborhoods, residents and guests are starting to breathe a sigh of relief and hope.

But it’s not over. This Monday, March 24, Aspen’s most important land-use decision is coming up. The owners of the corner across from Paradise Bakery want to build, you guessed it, a 41-foot high, lot line to lot line building, that will totally destroy the existing character of Aspen’s most famous corner for people gathering, music, sun, views and the true essence of why people come to Aspen.

The meeting starts at 5 p.m. but this land use application is the last item on the agenda after three other hot topics: raising cash-in-lieu for affordable housing mitigation, code amendment for historic lot splits and code amendment to SCI. The Paradise Bakery corner public hearing will probably be around 7:30 p.m.