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New City Offices
With the seat of Aspen City government moving to the new City offices building, the City is launching an engagement and outreach process to investigate enhancements to Galena Plaza. On Monday, October 21st at 9-10:30 AM and 2-3:30 PM, and on Tuesday, October 22nd at 4-5:30 PM, there are meeting opportunities at the Pitkin County Library to provide your input. Each meeting has a specific focus aimed at creating a more comprehensive civic green in this space.
View Galena Plaza Input Opportunities Flyer >>
Learn more about the Galena Plaza outreach and share your insights online at AspenCommunityVoice.com/GalenaPlaza
Stay Informed
Get up-to-date information on the project:
Call the 24-hour City of Aspen hotline at 970-429-1793
Sign up for ‘New City Offices’ newsletter
Email questions and concerns newcityoffices@cityofaspen.com
Neighborhood Email Announcements: If you would like to receive information about neighborhood meetings and localized project impacts and progress. Please email newcityoffices@cityaspen.com to subscribe to the list.
- Project Bulletin
- Construction Information
- About New City Offices
- Project Financials
- Design and Site Plan
Construction Activities Calendar & Map
View work activities and anticipated impacts for October 2019 [PDF].
View parking garage and pedestrian access map for September and October 2019 [PDF].
Project Updates - September 6, 2019
Right-of-way work, ADA ramp and sidewalk enhancements on Mill St. are expected to begin on Tuesday, September 9. During this work, driving lanes will be narrowed and the bike lane on Mill St. will be closed. Pedestrian access across Mill St. will be shifting. Please follow posted detour signage. Excavation activities for the new City offices building is ongoing through Sept. 13.
Rio Grande Parking Garage Access - September 16-October 31
Motorists are advised to be alert for parking garage access changes the week of September 16. Garage users will enter the parking garage via N. Mill St. (upper/west entrance) and will exit via Rio Grande Pl. (lower/north exit) to Mill St. or to Spring St. The lower garage entrance is anticipated to be closed for approximately five weeks.
Beginning Sept. 9, for safety critical overhead work, 15 parking spots on the upper level of the parking garage will be closed. At this time no full closures of the parking garage or its north entrance are scheduled as part of city offices construction. However, based on site conditions, there may be periodic full closures of the parking garage.
Staircase Closure – Sept. 9 through summer 2021
The blue staircase connecting Rio Grande Place and the plaza (staircase east of the parking garage/plaza) will close on Monday, Sept., 9 and remain closed for the next two years. For alternate access, use Jail Trail or the parking garage elevator.
Galena Plaza Public Space Connections | Public Process Update
Galena Plaza will play an important role in the long-term vision of enhancing the City of Aspen’s downtown connection with John Denver Sanctuary and the Roaring Fork River. This effort will be led by the City of Aspen Parks and Open Space Department.
Learn more about the Galena Plaza outreach and share your insights online at AspenCommunityVoice.com/GalenaPlaza
Sign up for “New City Offices” Notify Me updates to receive updates on opportunities for involvement.
Construction Update - April 25, 2019
Construction Update - April 1, 2019
The Project
The work beginning on the Rio Grande site in February 2019 marks the start of the two-year construction process.
In addition to Shaw Construction, our partners include Charles Cunniffe Architects, PR Studio, and Concept One Group.
Construction activities will take place between the hours of 7:30am and 5:30pm Monday through Friday and on Saturday as needed from 9am – 5pm.
The project timeline is expected to be as follows, with work continuous on the site from February 2019 through early 2021:
Phase 1 – Site Preparation and Demolition – February 2019-April 2019
Phase 2 – Utilities and Foundation – April 2019 – mid-June 2019 with minor follow-up work being done during the off season in the fall
Phase 3 -Vertical Construction – June 2019 – early 2021
The expected completion is early 2021.
The Building
The City of Aspen is constructing new administrative offices to improve the efficiency and availability of local government to the Aspen community. The site for the new City office building is located between Rio Grande Place and Galena Plaza. The new building will add to a civic common that consists of Pitkin County government buildings, Pitkin County Library, and the Aspen Police Department. The city office complex will enhance the corridor connecting the downtown core to Rio Grande Park and the John Denver Sanctuary.
The three-story, approximately 39,000 sq. ft. building designed by local architect Charles Cunniffe integrates bold structural elements and a featured glass rotunda welcoming community use. City offices can be accessed from two entries with enhanced green spaces around the physical building. Other features include, elevator and grand staircase, integrated use of natural materials for exterior finishes and community meeting space for public use. Current design standards call for a “LEED gold project”, with a Council decision still pending for the pursuit of a net zero carbon emissions facility.
Building of the new offices signifies the culmination of over six-years of planning for new City facilities that will meet the service needs of Aspen’s residents, customers, and visitors as well as provide appropriate work space for City employees. Currently, the City has multiple leases for offices scattered within the City core and beyond. The construction of this new facility will allow the City to reduce its externally leased spaces, reduce taxpayers’ expenses by building on land it owns, consolidate services in downtown Aspen, and improve existing facilities. The result will allow for better public service, business processes, and will address accessibility issues.
In November 2018 City of Aspen voters elected to locate new city offices at 425 Rio Grande Place.
Shaw Construction is the general contractor and the building is anticipated to be complete by summer of 2021.
The History
The City of Aspen completed a Facilities Master Plan in 2015 that developed an accurate inventory of City of Aspen spaces and set out to define future space needs and long term planning.
