Elevated Snowmass, led by Hotelier Stephane De Baets, gave an initial presentation to the Snowmass Village Town Council and Planning Commission during a joint work session Monday on the potential redevelopment of the Viewline, Snowmass Conference Center and Wildwood Lodge into the Ritz Carlton.

De Baets, owner of the St. Regis in Aspen and Redstone Castle, acquired the Snowmass property last year.

"My love story with the valley started about 16 years ago, when my company acquired the St. Regis in Aspen," De Baets said at the session. "Last year, we had this wonderful opportunity to acquire what I believe is one of the best pieces of real estate in North America, which is the Viewline, Conference Center and the Wildwood."

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Photo: Viewline Resort Snowmass.
Courtesy photo

Aspen City Council voted to move the Aspen Meadows affordable housing project forward Monday after hearing an updated proposal and reopening the public comment.

The Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival and School and Aspen Center for Physics are currently proposing a development of housing units spread out over the Aspen Meadows subdivision, with highest priority of employee housing given to full-time year-round staff. New trail connections, right-of-way improvements, reconfiguration of parking lots and landscaping improvements are also included in the proposal.

Updates to the proposal recommended at the council's March 24 meeting were presented Monday, namely the removal of the three units from North Street and the potential safety measures for the entrance to the property off 4th Street that prioritize pedestrians, bicycles, and public transit.

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Photo: The Aspen Meadows affordable housing project, proposed on the same campus that hosts Aspen Ideas Festival among other events, was approved Monday.
Ideas Festival Aspen/Aspen Institute

Buttermilk Ski Area is closed for the 2025-26 winter season as of Wednesday, March 25, due to "current conditions," according to Aspen Skiing Company.

The original closing day was set for April 5.

Buttermilk Mountain Lodge will stay open for restrooms and lunch on Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, until 2:30 p.m., and until 4 p.m. at the bar.

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Photo: A lone, short-sleeved skier searches for snow on the Tiehack side of Buttermilk Ski Area on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Aspen City Council heard an updated proposal Tuesday night for the Aspen Meadows affordable housing project, with Mayor Rachael Richards reopening public comment in response to the changes.

The proposal is to construct affordable housing spread over the Aspen Meadows campus for the Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival and School and the Aspen Center for Physics, according to an executive summary submitted before the regular meeting. Based on feedback previously provided at council's Feb. 24 and March 10 meetings, updates were presented in order to accommodate concerns around the proposed housing units on North Street and the Aspen Center for Physics, in addition to the proposed 4th Street entrance, among other topics.

Josh Frieman, chair of the Board of the Aspen Center for Physics and a 40-year volunteer there, took the lead to address the particular concerns surrounding the center's proposal.

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Photo: The Aspen Meadows Resort.
Aspen Meadows Resort/Courtesy photo

Elevated Snowmass, led by hotelier Stephane De Baets, briefed Snowmass Village leaders on a pre-sketch plan to redevelop the Viewline Resort, Conference Center, and Wildwood Lodge into a Ritz-Carlton. De Baets argued aging, mismatched infrastructure can't be remodeled and needs a full rebuild. The concept envisions six buildings with about 150 hotel keys, 80 workforce housing units, 62 fractional units, expanded retail/dining, and roughly 180 parking spaces, while preserving skier-access and view easements. Council and Planning Commission members generally supported replacing outdated facilities but raised concerns about building scale, fractional shares, conference space, business continuity, and maintaining "vibrancy." De Baets targets construction in 2028, opening by 2031, and full resort capacity by 2035-no formal votes yet.