The heart of Aspen’s commercial core is a mere sixteen square block area but it contains some of the most sought after luxury real estate in the world. It is minutes to Fifth Avenue-style shopping, the finest of dining, multiple entertainment venues, art galleries, a vibrant nightlife, several city parks and just steps to the Aspen Mountain Gondola. A limited number of penthouses, high-end condominiums and single-family dwellings within walking distance of all that Aspen has to offer define “exclusivity.” The continual redevelopment of commercial buildings and residential structures brings a more contemporary and sophisticated look to downtown Aspen but its historical mountain beauty is ever present and priceless.
The downtown core is also desirable for investors looking to rent their property because of the high desirability of visitors to be in town during their stays to have easy access to the slopes, shopping and nightlife.
In recent years there have been record-breaking sales for larger penthouses in the downtown core of Aspen (including a $4,275 per square foot sale in February 2016) because of a law passed by City Council in 2013 limiting residential units in this area to 2,000 square feet. Thus, the market has commanded a larger premium for the rare penthouses that were already in existence that far exceed the 2,000 SF limitation. These now non-conforming units may be maintained, but may not be expanded upon.
In 2015, the average price per square foot of a condo/townhome/duplex unit up to 2,000 square feet in the commercial downtown core of Aspen was $1,307, and the average for those units above 2,000 square feet was $2,127.