Put the airport expansion decision to a vote.
It may not be too late to prevent the final apocalyptic blow to growth management in Pitkin County. As it is, we’ve lost control of growth and development in this once-progressive community as global demand for investment-grade, dollar-denominated assets has overwhelmed any sense of small-town rural character.
The raging battle over the size of airplanes understates the figurative fork in the runway that we face: Stay modestly sized, or become a world hub for direct flights by the world’s ever-expanding class of uber-wealthy and its fleet of private jumbo jets. Call it AspenX, “PitkinX,” “Musk Village” or RH hardware outlet, but that’s where we’re headed: “Xclusivity,” “Xcess,” conspicuous consumption and more manifestations of greed made sacred.
As it is, the transition to full-on theme park is well underway. Free-market, affordable housing is already a distant memory awakening to the reality of $8,000-per-month basement apartments; the elevation of local charity events to four figure “gala” status; $300 per day lawn-chair rentals for the “snow beach;” $266 daily lift tickets; $5,000 Ideas Fest tickets, and on and on. You didn’t give $5,000 to the arts last year? Then you aren’t even invited to give anymore. Need medical care? Your doctor is concierge-only, with a monthly fee just to make an appointment to pay more.
The anecdotes and data are in alignment. The stories have been written again and again. Local columnists Scott Martin and Roger Marolt have been eloquent in giving voice to what the underlying data tells data geeks like me: real estate rising 4% monthly; long-term rentals converted to short-term; declining populations in once-thriving neighborhoods, with some becoming “kid free;” fewer voters than four years ago; weekly, record-breaking real estate sales buoyed by nine-figure trophy homes.
We are Lahaina in a slow burn. When that Hawaiian town was incinerated, locals had a rude shock: there was and is no plan B, no “downvalley” so to speak. The fire was for them, as it is for our valley locals who lose their rental units to conversion: You are figuratively, if not literally, voted off the island.
We’re being told that a decision on the size of incoming planes and the width of the runway they’ll require is a “done deal,” done and dealt out by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners. We can’t resist or we will lose almost all air service. I am among over 1,000 local citizens who signed a petition to amend the Pitkin County Home Rule Charter to require voter approval for expansion of the airport runway.
“You can’t thwart or compromise with the FAA,” we’re told.
“BS,” is my reply.
We’ve done it before. I know, because I was in the room with the FAA, the chief of staff for the Senate airport subcommittee, rock icon Don Henley and commissioner Bob Child when the FAA had to yield to our community’s demand to preserve a nighttime curfew for use of the airport.
Yes, it was U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s staffer who wrapped up the meeting, with clear direction to reach a compromise with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association that was demanding 24/7 access to our airport.
And the 95-foot wingspan limitation was no accident. The community wanted it and made it happen despite threats that rejecting 737s would crush our economy. Does it look crushed? Are we suffering from lack of air access?
It has been argued that the decision is so complicated — so technical — so abstruse — that it can only be made by the five commissioners acquiescing to what they see as FAA requirements.
Sorry, no sale. With all due respect for the commissioners, they are representative of the electorate in both knowledge and ability — not the brilliant “Men for Mars,” who developed the breakthrough math and physics in the 1900s. We were smart enough to elect them and we are smart enough to weigh in on the decision one way or another.
It was the voters that approved the real estate transfer tax, the creation of Burlingame housing, the purchase of Smuggler Mountain, the preservation of the Red Brick Center, the funding of valleywide transit service and the tax that kept the Wheeler Opera House public. For the most part, we got it right and we can do so again.
Of course, there are legitimate counterarguments in favor of packing another 10 pounds of “touron” and billionaire into our 5-pound sack. Those arguments will, and should, be made after the Home Rule Charter is amended to give the voters a seat at the table. The pro-expansion forces have many points to make and may well prevail. They should be heard and we should decide.
Perhaps the community wants ever more second homes, STRs, high-end galas and RH hardware outlets — and it has the right to. The revered Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, put it best: “To lead the people, walk behind them.”