A unanimous Aspen City Council voted to approve real estate developer Mark Hunt's Base1 lodge proposal this week, although the approval is contingent upon saving a 70-year-old cottonwood tree on the sidewalk in front of the site. The new lodge will contain rooms that average 177 square feet, making them the smallest lodge units in town. Rooms should average about $150 per night during non-holiday periods. [Aspen Daily News]