OCR Text |
Show ,EARLYS TIMES - JULY 1994 . 9 ’ l My Experience wrth Aspen “Boards Battle Invasion of Monster Homes" This was not a headline I ever thought I would see on the front page of the Aspen Times, but on June 23rd there it was. Even that city, which has become a symbol of runaway growth, greed, and “bigger is better,” has finally had enough. I think there is a lesson for us here. Instead of waiting for such a headline in this newspaper, I think our community should put some sort of reasonable maximum house size restrictions in place now. Some of you may want to throw this article down and yell, “No one is going to tell me what to do on my land!” Or shout, “No more rules and regs!” Please read on and hear my story—a story of the loss of a communrty. I lived in Aspen, Colorado, for 14 money tend to build large homes. Other people with surplus wealth see the large homes in CV and feel this is a place with their kind of people (read rich, wealthy, affluent). These new people build even larger homes than what is already here, because to build a smaller home is a loss of face. Cris Coffey calls it the Edifice Complex. Larger homes frequently are second homes and are empty a good portion of the year. It has been my observation that those second home owners usually do not volunteer for the fire department, serve on boards, or attend meetings or children ‘s plays. (Some second home owners, of course, plan on eventually retiring here. They are the ones who will find ways to keep up with the community they intend to call home. Their visits are welcome and community shared by the fine peop le who live here. Let us set some standards for our town, based on a belief in the value of community, not on making a killing or showing off our surplus wealth. Let us live simply on the land we were fortunate enough to find, and encourage others with these values to move here. Let us find ways to discourage the investor, developer, the house Showoff by making a less desirable market for them. Let us not have to repeat the Aspen Times headline, “Boards Battle the Invasion of Monster Homes" five years from now in this newspaper. —Maria Loe we hope they will join us soon.) However, people who see our area only as a “good investment” are not part of the community concept; they are uefirop uoreex' years. I left three years ago because I part of the Aspen concept of “getting in knew only three people in town. My on the ground floor," “making a friends live in “down valley” communi- bundle,” “being where it's happening.” ties, my children have moved away. I Lending a large empty house to rich no longer saw friends at the store, . friends is a great way to show off one's public cultural events, or sitting on a affluence. bench in the park. They had become One might think that house size part of the bumper-to-bumper traffic and second homes are separate issues, Our dear old Festus is in Hollyleaving Aspen every day at 5:30 pm. but it has been my experience in “hot” wood this month making movies, but Why did this happen? Because destinations that the two go hand in he was kind enough to send us two Aspen became an “in” place for the hand. It is also my experience that as billboards of his latest films. He will be rich—the place to have a prestigious the bigger, glitzier houses go up, more back next month, so send your queries 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th home. I saw it come in. Property values go up, and and dreams to CVSR 2802. happen on a quiet country lane on the taxes go way up. What will you do— outskirts of town, a street with a few ——Kaaron Jorgen sell? Move on? To where? old homes owned by local people; The I urge each of you who (are for this first large house to go up on this lane valley to encourage the Flaming MULES IN TIGHTS was 15,000 square feet. Within five Commission to move forward with years the quiet country road was one house size limitations. Volunteer to huge house after another, each larger help them research, plan, and formulate than the first big house. such a restriction. We need to do this Two of the oldtimers who still live before we lose our community of plain on this road pay unbelievable taxes so folks who moved here for love of this as to stay in their homes until they die. land and its peace, quiet, and safety— One woman told me she is harassed or as I did, for the strong sense of by realtors who always have a buyer for her land (not the house; of course it would be torn down). She is outraged JANIE TUFT - SALES AGENT/OWNER by those who think if the price is right she will sell. "They can wait until I die!” she said to me. Whatdoesallthismeantousin Castle Valley? It means that if we do not limit the size of our homes, by height and square footage, we could find the same big-house pattern developing here. Rising land prices attract people with money. People with Paradise Real Estate 47 E. CENTER STREET 0 MOAB, UT 84532 801-259-2650 - FAX 801-259-2699 P.O.Box 1121 - Moab UT 84532 Res. 801—2598360 - Leave Message M.L.S. REALTOR |