Now that the conveyance has been granted, the Forest Service station in Aspen can sell five lots averaging 7,500 square feet on the Northwest corner of its West End property at North 8th Street and Smuggler Street. The appraisal price is being held by the Forest Service as a "closely guarded secret," but the station would have the option of selling each of the five lots separately, each permitted for a home of about 3,500 square feet, or selling the acre-or-so lot as a single property.
The auction of the property, which the White River National Forest considers its most valuable piece of real estate, would help pay for the $9-10 million renovation the current dilapidated compound desperately needs. A law passed Congress in 2006 that allows the Forest Service to sell "excess administrative property" in order to fund renovations and construction, and would allow the Aspen station to build a new administrative building, warehouse, a 16-24 person bunkhouse, and a three-apartment complex. The Forest Service is going to wait until the summer season, visitors, and hype descend on the area before posting the auction.
· Forest Service readies to sell its lots in Aspen [Aspen Times]