NEWS

Survey results released this week by the Young Professionals Network — a part of the Steamboat Springs Chamber — showed that 67% of survey participants worry that high housing costs will force them to leave Steamboat Springs.

During the first two weeks of May, the Young Professionals Network conducted a housing survey for its members in partnership with the Brown Ranch Annexation Committee, with 254 individuals responding to the questions. […]

The number one goal of the Brown Ranch is to provide affordable and attainable housing for Routt County’s workforce, but some locals are somewhat skeptical that will actually happen.

On Wednesday, Yampa Valley Housing Authority Executive Director Jason Peasley shared how they intend to provide that affordability both initially and in the future.[…]

U.S. Highway 40 will need to be widened — two lanes in each direction from Dream Island Plaza to Routt County Road 42 — and two more stoplights will need to be installed potentially as soon as 2030, according to a traffic study conducted to inform the development of the Brown Ranch.

While the need for these improvements would be accelerated because of the Brown Ranch, the upgrades would be needed even without the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s 2,200 unit-development, said Steamboat Springs Public Works Director Jon Snyder. […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority is working to increase the amount of park space included at the Brown Ranch, but the loss of units that would stem from some of the city’s asks may be too great.

When first presented last month, Steamboat Springs officials said the Brown Ranch plan was not providing the park acreage that is called for in various city plans, mainly the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, Trails and River Comprehensive Master Plan.[…]

The Brown Ranch Annexation Committee has settled on a population estimate of 6,113 people to live at the development, though they emphasized that doesn’t mean the project will grow Steamboat Springs’ population by that much.

The population estimate became important when city staff found an error in the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s development plan that estimated between 6,895 and 7,590 people would live there.[…]

While land for a fire station has always been part of the plan for Brown Ranch, Routt County public safety officials are hoping to get additional land for a regional training facility somewhere in the development.

The Brown Ranch Development has a fire station planned in the first neighborhood in the southeast part of the parcel, which Steamboat Springs Fire Chief Chuck Cerasoli said he felt was a good location, though he was looking for a slightly bigger parcel.[…]

Fearing a state “power grab” could derail the city’s best chance to fix its affordable housing crisis, a shorthanded Steamboat Springs City Council voted unanimously during an emergency meeting Thursday, March 30, to oppose Gov. Jared Polis’ sweeping land use reform bill.

That chance — the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s Brown Ranch that promises to deliver affordable and attainable housing over a 20-year buildout — is going through the city’s annexation process right now.[…]

While the number of units planned at the Brown Ranch — 2,264 — has been a headline number in the 167-page community development plan, the actual number of residents intended to live there isn’t as clear.

The only population reference in the document is a range of 6,895 to 7,590 on pages 79 and 81 in a section related to parks amenities.

But on Wednesday, March 29, during the Brown Ranch Annexation Committee meeting, Yampa Valley Housing Authority Executive Director Jason Peasley said that range is incorrect.[…]

A preliminary fiscal analysis of the annexation of the Brown Ranch into Steamboat Springs shows it would increase housing stock in the ski town by roughly 20%, but that the new development overall would have a net-negative impact on the city’s general fund.

The analysis from RCLCO Real Estate Consultants, which has offices in four states, is still being refined, but seeks to understand what additional revenues the Brown Ranch would spur as well as measuring the costs to extend city services.[…]

Who will eventually live at Brown Ranch will be an important factor when calculating the impacts of the development on Steamboat Springs’ general fund, both in terms of costs and potential revenues.

Through annexation meetings, some services like road maintenance, snow plowing and transit have shown they will require investments to expand services that are already stretched thin, both up front and over time.[…]

The first town hall about Brown Ranch annexation into Steamboat Springs is expected to take place later this month, after the annexation committee approved the outreach plan last week.

The plan is a hybrid of initial approaches from the city and the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, and hopes to get broader outreach about the community’s thoughts on annexation that may not be addressed during public comment of Brown Ranch Annexation Committee meetings.[…]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority believes the Brown Ranch should not be required to adhere to a city policy requiring dedication of water rights or a fee to secure water rights for new annexed property in Steamboat Springs.

The water rights dedication policy was put in place in 2009 during the first attempt to annex land then called Steamboat 700. That land is now referred to as Brown Ranch.

As the Brown Ranch property does not have any water rights to contribute to the city, the housing authority would be subject to the fee-in-lieu aspect of the policy, if the city opts to require one.[…]

The cost of Steamboat Springs’ transit network is increasing faster than the funding for it grows, which has led to a decline in services in recent years just to keep the program within budget.

This can be seen through reduced late night bus service this winter, and city Public Works Director Jon Snyder said more cuts are likely in the future unless more dedicated funding for transit is secured.[…]

Resort communities are appealing places to live year round, with stunning natural beauty and recreational opportunities in abundance. However, the same factors that make these places attractive can make them difficult for year-round and seasonal locals who run the ski lifts, fight fires, serve meals in restaurants, and teach in the schools. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness of the importance of essential workers, it has also exacerbated the housing affordability challenge with the rise of remote work and the resulting spike in second-home ownership rates.[…]

The availability of drinking water won’t be the same hurdle during Brown Ranch annexation that it has been in two previous efforts to expand Steamboat Springs’ city limits west.

That is because in 2020 Steamboat Springs was able to obtain a perpetual lease agreement for water out of Steamboat Lake, a move that made the Elk River a viable third water source for the city.

“This was the major tripping point in all previous annexations,” Steamboat Public Works Director Jon Snyder said. “Not really the tripping point now.” […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority is looking for an experienced developer to help bring the vision for the Brown Ranch crafted in a community-driven process to reality.

On Thursday, Feb. 9, the housing authority board approved a request for qualifications document that will be sent to developers in the Yampa Valley and far beyond to narrow down firms that could be a fee developer on the project. […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority Board decided on Thursday, Feb. 9, that the Brown Ranch will use a ground source heating system — a key early decision in planning for the development that could deliver its first units by the end of 2026.

The system was chosen in a unanimous vote of the board and follows the recommendation passed along from engineering consultants that have been studying the 2,300 unit development’s energy plan for several months.[…]

The number of single-family homes included in the Brown Ranch development was highlighted as a potential concern Wednesday, Feb. 1, as the special annexation committee begins forming an agreement.

As presented, the Brown Ranch would create 2,262 units over the next two decades, with 65% of that being multifamily units. Nearly 300, or 13%, of those would be detached single-family homes, and almost another 500 units would be attached single-family units like row homes or town houses.[…]

Officials are hoping the “third time’s the charm” as they start work to annex the Brown Ranch property into Steamboat Springs’ city limits.

In the first meeting of the Brown Ranch Annexation Committee on Friday, Jan. 20, representatives from the city, Yampa Valley Housing Authority and third-party facilitator Jason Lacy laid out a plan to hold 10 meetings between now and the end of June to put together an annexation agreement.[…]

The Brown Ranch Annexation Committee will hold its first meeting on Friday, Jan. 20, kicking off a monthslong process that hopes to reach an agreement by the end of June.

The seven-member committee is made up of three representatives each from the city and the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, and one member from a neutral third-party, who would serve as chair.[…]

Effects the Brown Ranch will have on Steamboat Springs’ roads was top of mind for residents as officials with the Yampa Valley Housing Authority fielded questions about the development during a presentation last week.

There were numerous questions at each session about how building the 2,300-unit development west of town over the next 20 to 25 years will impact traffic that is already congested along U.S. Highway 40 — especially west of town where backups are a daily occurrence […]

Construction at the Brown Ranch would start in 2026 with the first units coming at the end of that year and all 1,200 units planned for the first phase of development built by the middle of 2029, according to the development plan presented Thursday, Oct. 6.

When fully built out over the next 20 to 25 years, the plan shows the Brown Ranch will feature four neighborhoods, each with a variety of housing types ranging from single-family homes to large-scale apartment complexes […]

On Thursday, Oct. 6, the Yampa Valley Housing Authority will present what it has learned from its extensive work on purchasing and planning the Brown Ranch.

The presentation, offered at both 2 and 6 p.m. at the Strings Music Pavilion, should give the community the most complete view yet of what could be Steamboat’s best chance to address affordable housing […]

Building the necessary infrastructure for the Brown Ranch housing development could require as much as $10 million a year from the Steamboat Springs community over the next 20 years.

In a presentation to Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday, May 3, Jason Peasley, executive director of the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, emphasized that while the estimated $400 million price tag for infrastructure is crucial for developing Brown Ranch, the city won’t have to come up with that money all at once and […]

The first phase of construction at the Brown Ranch would build more than 1,100 units, with about a third of that new stock of apartments and single-family options available for purchase, according to a presentation to the project’s steering committee last week.

That first phase could be further split into multiple phases, but initial construction would likely start at the southeast portion of the property and make a connection with the currently under construction Overlook Subdivision […]

Colorado’s senators were in Routt County on Wednesday, April 20, to learn about two of the Yampa Valley’s most important community projects — one that has gotten significant federal funding and another that would benefit from it.

Sen. Michael Bennet paid a visit to the Hayden Center to see the space, which $2.9 million in congressionally directed spending will help finish in the next year and a half, while Sen. John Hickenlooper toured the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s Brown Ranch property […]

The Brown Ranch Steering Committee met Friday, March 18, as the group waded through information about housing demand, as well as some updates from the focus teams and the consulting team, Mithun, that are guiding the affordable housing project.

According to the steering committee, its members are in line with building about 800 units in the first phase of construction, though there are still questions about the density, types of housing and percentages of rental properties in relationship to units to purchase[…]

Housing demand for Brown Ranch is 2,500 units by the year 2040.

That’s the most recent update from the Brown Ranch Steering Committee, after meeting with focus groups and consultants.

The committee is aligned with building 800 units in the first phase of construction. One question being discussed is density which will be 15-18 units per acre.[…]

Without any upgrades at the undeveloped Brown Ranch property, Yampa Valley Electric Association estimates it could serve about 15 homes — but even that is more of a guess.

“We can serve thousands with infrastructure upgrades … just like any other utility,” said Virginia Harman, vice president of operations for YVEA, during the Brown Ranch project’s infrastructure focus group meeting on Thursday, March 3. […]

Five focus teams for the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s Brown Ranch project have been wading into key issues about the development for about a month now with some interesting revelations.

One of those is that getting water to the 536-acre property doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue as once believed it would be. Instead, figuring out electricity for the development may be trickier, said Shelia Henderson, community engagement lead on the Brown Ranch project.[…]

If 536 acres weren’t enough, the Steamboat Springs Board of Education signaled Monday, Feb. 7, it is interested in working with the Yampa Valley Housing Authority to plan out a 22-acre parcel the district owns that is adjacent to Brown Ranch. […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority is looking to roughly triple the size of its staff over the next two years, as planning for Brown Ranch isn’t the only project on the entity’s plate.

A year ago, beefing up the housing authority’s property management capabilities was the main priority, and in a special meeting for strategic planning last week, Executive Director Jason Peasley said he wants to ensure efforts to develop the Brown Ranch don’t get in the way of that. […]

The Brown Ranch Steering Committee has been meeting weekly since October, and in one of those meetings, they were struggling to combine two draft vision statements for the project. […]

In the 1990s, a group known as the Yampa Valley Trail Alliance envisioned a trail that would extend along the Yampa River from its headwaters in the Flat Tops Mountains to near the Utah border in Dinosaur. […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority is holding multiple community presentations about the Brown Ranch on Thursday, Jan. 27, including options to ask questions.

Members of the Brown Ranch Steering Committee will be available to chat in person in between presentations at Strings Music Pavilion […]

Ever since the Yampa Valley Housing Authority received the anonymous gift of 536 acres on the west end of town, you can’t go anywhere without overhearing conversations about the Brown Ranch.

For most it brings hope. Business owners, day cares, nonprofits and teachers hope it will provide housing for valued employees who may be forced to leave town […]

The Brown Ranch is a special place just west of the current Steamboat Springs city limits. It’s a beautiful 536-acre property with meadows, bluffs, creeks and rolling hills that include stunning views of the ski area, the Continental Divide, the Sleeping Giant, and Emerald Mountain […]

Steamboat Springs City Council and the Yampa Valley Housing Authority held their first conversation Tuesday since the Housing Authority purchased the Brown Ranch, a 536-acre property just west of town that will one day serve as affordable housing. […]

One of the first obstacles facing the Brown Ranch development west of Steamboat Springs is misinformation, according to the Yampa Valley Housing Authority Board of Directors. Rumors surrounding the project […]

Cars packed into a large open space that had been turned into a makeshift parking lot near the entrance of the Brown Ranch in west Steamboat Springs on Oct. 30, as those who knew Stephen Brown came out to pay their respects […]

The Brown Ranch is a special place just west of the current Steamboat Springs city limits. It’s a beautiful 536-acre property […]

The same anonymous donor responsible for funding the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s purchase of the Brown Ranch this summer has returned with another contribution. With a $6 million donation […]

Thank you to the anonymous donor who provided the donation to the Yampa Valley Housing Authority to enable them to purchase the land in our designated growth area in West Steamboat Springs. This has the potential […]

Vanessa Avitia is just 13 years old, and she loves living in Steamboat Springs. But her parents […]

Thanks to the generosity and foresight of an anonymous donor, our community has an opportunity of a lifetime; an opportunity to build […]

Having closed Wednesday on the purchase of the Brown Ranch property, 536 acres west of Steamboat Springs formerly owned by Steamboat 700, the Yampa Valley Housing Authority is placing great emphasis on […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority closed on 536 acres of property to the west of Steamboat Springs on Wednesday, officially taking ownership of the former Steamboat 700 property that has long been talked about as an answer to local housing woes. During a stop at the property as he toured Northwest Colorado on Wednesday, Gov. Jared Polis […]

The Yampa Valley Housing Authority is eagerly awaiting a response from Steamboat 700 LLC after it made an offer Thursday to purchase its 536-acre property west of Steamboat Springs, […]

A 346-acre parcel of land currently for sale on the west side of Steamboat Springs could hold the key to the community’s future housing needs if it can attract the right buyer. The property has been in the spotlight several times since 2007 […]