STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO – The Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) appointed board officers at their meeting yesterday with Leah Wood serving as president, Michael Ann Marchand as vice president, and Cole Hewitt as secretary/treasurer. Board officer terms are for one year.  In addition, the Board elected representatives for the Brown Ranch Annexation Committee (BRAC) and discussed the annexation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Steamboat Springs for Brown Ranch. Qualification parameters and a process to seek a Brown Ranch community development partner (fee developer) was also deliberated.

The new YVHA officers are as follows:

• Leah Wood, president
• Michael Ann Marchand, vice president
• Cole Hewitt, secretary/treasurer
• Sandy Jacobs, financial officer (not on the board)

With the appointments ratified by the City of Steamboat Springs and Routt County, the full board list is as follows:

1. Leah Wood, president
2. Michael Ann Marchand, vice president
3. Cole Hewitt, treasurer
4. Tim Corrigan, Routt County representative
5. City of Steamboat Springs representative (to be determined by City Council on 1/13/23)
6. Roger Ashton
7. Jim Beers
8. Alison Brodie
9. Catherine Carson
10. Reese Freeman
11. Kelly Gallegos
12. Kathi Meyer
13. Patrick Phillips
14. Axel Rios
15. Lou Tortora

The next board election will be in December 2023.

In December, the City Council voted to appoint a Brown Ranch Annexation Committee (BRAC) to negotiate the terms of a comprehensive agreement governing the proposed annexation of Brown Ranch The YVHA Board voted to appoint Leah Wood and Kathi Meyer to represent YVHA on the BRAC, with Michael Ann Marchand serving as alternate. It is anticipated the Brown Ranch Annexation Committee will begin meeting later this month.

The YVHA also approved resolutions authorizing the agency to apply for grants to the Colorado Division of Housing “Transformational Affordable Housing, Homeownership, and Workforce Housing” grant program, which was created by Colorado House Bill 2022-1304. Yampa Valley Housing Authority intends to apply for $10,000,000 for gap financing to support the Mid Valley project on Mid Valley Drive in Steamboat Springs and $10,000,000 for Brown Ranch infrastructure.

At the end of the meeting, there was an extensive update on the Brown Ranch Energy Master Plan.  The board continues to evaluate the fuel source(s) and mechanical systems that will be used at Brown Ranch to understand the upfront and lifecycle cost differences between options, as well as carbon emissions. The final Brown Ranch Energy Master Plan will be complete in late January.

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