Last night's Aspen City Council meeting could be considered the puck drop on the master plan process for the redevelopment of the Lift 1A base area of Aspen Mountain.

In a public hearing that provided a preview of the process that will attempt to build consensus between the city, the Aspen Skiing Co. and private developers, the council declared the area along South Aspen Street from Dean Street up to the slopes of Ajax eligible for the COWOP process. An acronym for "Convenience and Welfare of the Public," the COWOP process brings interested parties in a development to the same table in order to make better projects. City officials determined that a COWOP would be the most appropriate way for the Lift 1A master plan to go forward.

Council members and developers agreed that the task before the city is daunting, but crucial to Aspen's future.

"It's like a three or four layer chess game," said John Sarpa, one of the two hotel developers that has agreed to participate in the master plan along with SkiCo and the city.

"It makes sense for the three of us, as well as the city," Sarpa said.

A COWOP committee is hoped to be seated by April, with work wrapping up before the end of the year.

Momentum for a Lift 1A master plan reached a critical mass in the fall after the council shot down the proposal for the Lodge at Aspen Mountain, a 151,000-square-foot project that would have included 70 hotel rooms and 24 fractional-ownership condos.

Many in the community and on the council found the whole discussion of the Lodge at Aspen Mountain to be flawed because it didn't take into account that another large lodging project, the Lift One Lodge, was being planned across the street and would soon be before Aspen City Council. There was a desire on the council's part to look at the two projects together to try to extract more community benefits out of the redevelopment plans.

One month ago, representatives of the Lift One Lodge agreed to put the application on hold to enter into the master plan process.

Although some of the community benefits that have been suggested include a new ski lift that would bring people from town to the hill and a ground source, heat pump system that would warm both new buildings with minimal greenhouse gas belching, Community Development Director Chris Bendon said one of the key elements of a successful master plan is to enter the process without any preconceived notions.

"It needs to be driven from the ground up," Bendon said.

What a master plan can do is bring interested parties together to outline goals and visions for a particular project, or in this case a number of projects, Bendon said. A major part of the process will be making compromises and determining what is and is not possible, Bendon said.

Another key to the master plan's success is that the committee that is hammering out the proposal be broad based, Bendon said. That means no particular group, be it the developers, the city, the neighbors or various other interest groups, can dominate the proceedings.

The COWOP will have as many as 25 to 28 voting members, and the COWOP's business will be open to members of the general public who will be encouraged to come to the meetings and comment. Parties that are assured a spot on the committee include representatives from Lift One Lodge, the Lodge at Aspen Mountain, and SkiCo, as well as representatives from City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.

During the hearing's public-comment session, representatives from seven neighboring homeowner associations told the council they were happy to see the process go forward and that they want a seat at the table.

Council members also said they thought that more than four citizens at large should have a spot on the committee, which was the initial recommendation of the city's community development department. The final composition of the committee, and the amount of representation from the neighbors and the general public, will be determined later.

"Success of the task force mainly depends on broad community acceptance," Councilman Jack Johnson said.

The master plan process will include an independent financial consultant who will review the developers' pro forma, and then offer opinions on the financial viability of various components of the master plan. The developers' financial information will be available only to the consultant, not the general public or the COWOP committee.

The city and the developers also entered into a cost-sharing agreement that stipulates retainers for consultants and other general costs related to the master plan will be split by the parties.

curtis@aspendailynews.com