Mayor: Little Annie’s Redevelopment Proposal is ‘Blackmail’, ADN

During a public hearing on Monday, [Aspen Mayor, Mick] Ireland said he’s in no mood to “tell people to go live downvalley because we want Little Annie’s to be preserved.” He added that the city has not yet answered the question of whether or not the building is truly historic.What’s on the table is a classic “shoot the puppy” scenario, which he’s sick of, Ireland said.

ASPEN DOWNTOWN REAL ESTATE - A proposal to waive affordable housing requirements, condo size caps and city fees in order to save Little Annie’s and the Benton building amounts to blackmail and extortion, Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland said in a public meeting on Monday. Local businessman Nikos Hecht originally proposed tearing down the structures to make way for a new mixed-use development on East Hyman Avenue, but in November proposed keeping the buildings in exchange for city incentives. He still plans to develop a three-story mixed-use building on the corner of Hyman Avenue and Hunter Street.
By Curtis Wackerle, Jan. 10, 2012 ADN

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Aspen's Little Annie and Benton Buildings on Hyman Avenue in downtown Aspen is targeted for proposed re-development