Galena and Cooper Living Lab Summer 2022

Temporary changes to traffic flow in downtown Aspen are taking place through September 26, 2022. The primary streets affected are Galena, Cooper, and Hyman Avenues. 

The City of Aspen has prepared a project fact sheet and map, available in English here and in Spanish here.

The City of Aspen's informational website on the project is here.

You can submit public comment to the City of Aspen through their project webpage here, or by calling 970-340-4334.

You can write to the Aspen City Council at [email protected]

The city created a summary of past engagement outcomes that you can view here.

ACRA has created an open ended feedback form for you to fill out here.

ACRA has created a 4-minute survey you may fill out here.

• Pop-Up Outreach Event 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

  • August 31 2022

• Aspen City Council Regular Meeting
  • August 23, 2022
•  
• Pop-Up Outreach Event 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  • August 15 2022
  •  
• City Council Work Session, View Here 
  • August 1, 2022 4 p.m.

You can read the letter sent to Aspen City Council on behalf of ACRA members here.

One member benefit when joining the Aspen Chamber is the public affairs work done on behalf of you, your business, and your staff. ACRA does this work through communication, outreach, and advocacy. This includes soliciting member input, convening stakeholders, informing and empowering membership of public outreach opportunities, and representing membership through official public comment channels.

A summary of the work ACRA has done on the Galena Cooper Living Lab is as follows:

Aug 2, 2021    Downtown traffic focus group convened at request of city

Aug 2, 2021    Public Affairs Committee Update included notice of Aug 23 work session

Aug 9, 2021    Downtown traffic questionnaire on social media

Aug 11, 2021  Member Newsletter, notice of Aug 23rd Pedestrian Safety meeting & link to questionnaire

Aug 12, 2021  One-on-one, ACRA/City of Aspen Engineering

Sept 16, 2021 City releases safety & mobility memo, ACRA forwards to focus group 

Sept 23, 2021 Correspondence with City of Aspen requesting memo revision to reflect business concerns with the lab

Sept 27, 2021 Concerns over the lab sent to Board of Directors at request of Meridian Jewelers 

Sept 28, 2021 ACRA BOD Meeting, Mitch Osur & engineering team present lab concept    

Nov 3, 2021    Member Newsletter, Save the date for Safety & Mobility in the Downtown Core Town Hall

Nov 17, 2021  Member Newsletter, Submit questions for Safety & Mobility in the Downtown Core Town Hall

Nov 29, 2021  E Blast, Safety & Mobility in the Downtown Core Town Hall invite reminder

Dec 1, 2021    Safety & Mobility in the Downtown Core Town Hall

Dec 2, 2021    Member Newsletter, link to grassroots recording of Safety & Mobility in the Downtown Core Town Hall

Feb 11, 2022  Member Newsletter, Feb 15 work session notice      

Feb 15, 2022  City Council approves lab installation

Apr 21, 2022   ACRA Public Affairs committee update on lab plans

Jun 15, 2022.  Member Newsletter announces upcoming lab  

Jun 24 - July 1, 2022 Galena Cooper Living Lab Installation

Jul 6, 2022      CCLC presentation from project team

Jul 11, 2022    Launched project information page and feedback form online

July 13, 2022  Member Newsletter, providing engagement opportunities, project phone number, link to ACRA info page and feedback form 

Jul 27, 2022    Member Newsletter, resource page and input form

Aug 1, 2022    Instagram post and stories announcement public discussion notice

Aug 1, 2022.   Aspen City Council work session 

Aug 2, 2022.   Work Session summary sent to ACRA Public Affairs Committee

Aug 10, 2022  Member Newsletter, business impact poll

Aug 15, 2022  Instagram post & stories pop up event notice

Aug 16, 2022  Mid-lab focus group with project team and downtown business reps

Aug 17, 2022  CCLC check in with project team

Aug 18, 2022   ACRA Public Affairs Committee, business check in 

Aug 19, 2022.  ACRA sends task force notice of Aug 23 public discussion

Aug 24, 2022 Member Newsletter with lab updates and sentiment survey

Oct 13, 2022 ACRA Feeback Forum

Oct 20, 2022 ACRA Public Affairs Committee presentation – member feedback results

Tuesday, August 23rd

Aspen City Council Regular Meeting

1. The three temporary changes for winter are
   1. Galena Street parking configuration for the winter will be angle parking on the east (driver’s) side and parallel parking on the west (passenger) side.
   2. Hyman Ave. to remain one-way between Hunter and Galena
   3. 3-way stop sign to remain at the Galena/Hopkins intersection
2. These three elements are also “temporary” through the winter season and may not be the final configuration
3. All other elements will revert to pre-lab conditions after the Sept 26 conclusion date

Tuesday, August 2nd

Aspen City Council Work Session

There does not seem to be support for the counter-flow bike lane from council, so that element of the living lab will likely not be implemented permanently. Much of council spoke of the success of the bulb-outs at the Spring and Cooper intersection by city market and suggested the intersections of the lab get the same treatment. The council also requested that once the lab is over on October 1st that one or both sides of Galena street continue to have parallel parking instead of reverting the street back to diagonal parking on both sides. From the parking concerns some downtown business have expressed this will likely be met with pushback, though the city staff showed data that the core is still parked under the 85% threshold with the parking set up as it is now.