Get in Touch

This site encompasses five to six-acre lots within walking distance to downtown Aspen, with views of Aspen Mountain and access to one of the most desirable addresses in the country. At that scale, the infrastructure has to match the setting. Water distribution, sewer collection, fiber, electric, roads, and grading were all designed to serve structures that operate more like commercial facilities than typical residences, with corresponding demands for precision, reliability, and detail.

The water distribution design required coordination with the City of Aspen Water Department and the relocation of an existing City of Aspen booster pump station that serves the Red Mountain area. That relocation was a significant infrastructure project in its own right, requiring close coordination with city engineering staff and careful sequencing to maintain service to existing customers throughout construction.

Irrigation presented a unique technical challenge. Water for the subdivision is drawn from the Salvation Ditch, historically routed across the properties. RFE piped a substantial segment of the ditch where it ran above the building envelopes — a leaking open ditch in that location posed an unacceptable risk to the homes below. The piped system now delivers water reliably to a splitter structure that divides the irrigation supply equitably among the five lots. Coordination with the ditch company, water rights attorneys, and each property’s legal team was required to execute the water rights and conveyance changes correctly.

Entitlements for the subdivision required multiple appearances before the Pitkin County Board of Adjustment to obtain variances for setback and cut/fill requirements driven by the site’s access and grading constraints. RFE managed that process from application through approval.

RFE ultimately designed civil site plans for four of the five residences, working closely with each home’s architect and landscape architect to translate complex design visions into coordinated civil construction documents.