Snowmass might seek to make interim improvements to its transit center.

Snowmass Town Council directed staff Monday to explore how a new transit center bathroom, a mall staircase, and a flattened mall entrance would affect council’s ability to pursue major infrastructural changes to the area in the future.

“It’s been our recommendation since 2022 that we design an incremental (project) to meet the long-term plan,” said Snowmass Town Manager Clint Kinney. “And so we still think that’s probably the best way.”

The first phase of improvements would include a new staircase connecting the entrance of Daly Lane to the entrance of the mall, running along the side of Carriage Way, as well as a new restroom at the existing transit center on Carriage Way to the northwest of the mall. It would also include three independent 40-foot bus bays and two additional staging bays, if the town deems them necessary.

The improvements would cost roughly $3 million, according to Town Manager Clint Kinney.

That’s compared to the $58 million and $44 million two-level designs that council was considering in the previous several months. Council directed staff to pursue the interim design to see if the town could still add on these larger transit center changes.

Both designs consolidated Village Shuttle and Roaring Fork Transportation Authority access into the same location, to be placed over the existing transit center and Lot 6. The $58 million design included a two-level parking garage over what is now Lot 5 to make up for the loss of parking, while the $44 million included only one level of parking at the site. 

With only $9.5 million in available project funding from Pitkin County, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, and the Snowmass budget, council decided to reevaluate the project timeline. Staff advised that the earliest project construction start would be in the spring 2030, given the lack of available grant funding.

Council members felt the project timeline was drawn out given that they had made progress toward designing a new transit center earlier this spring and winter. 

They directed staff to return later this spring with more information on how incremental improvements would fit into the larger designs.