“I think when you say (housing) ‘crisis,’ people’s brains get all messed up,” said Phillips. “What I would like to see is us being proactive and thinking long-term in putting the commercial-industrial up at Brown Ranch, incentivizing those owners of those buildings to move their businesses up to Brown Ranch and then turn 13th Street into high-density housing.”

“Well, I do believe that we have a housing crisis,” said Garey, the incumbent City Council president, in response to Phillips. “We also know that we are all losing friends moving out of this community because they don’t have a place to live.”

Garey said she supports a path forward for Brown Ranch, but she noted that it is “only one part of the solution.”

District 3 candidates Box and Agosta presented similar responses to the Brown Ranch question. 

“The proposal that was put in front of this community was not accepted. We have to go a different route,” said Box. “I knocked on a bunch of doors on Sunday … if anything was loud and clear, it was that you have to figure out the traffic before you add any housing on that side of town. So I think we have other options.”

“The Yampa Valley Housing Authority is working for us and can continue to work for us,” said Agosta. “We have opportunities to work with them on some infill projects and on some down-payment assistance. So Brown Ranch is a solution for us, but … it’s not a solution by itself.”

During the housing conversation among the at-large candidates, West — the current District 2 council member — took the opportunity to “clear the air” on “mistakes” made ahead of the Brown Ranch annexation vote in March 2024. 

“(Brown Ranch) would not have required a referendum if we had not received instructions from the governor to pass that measure and not send it to a (public) vote,” she said. “There were other mistakes that were made by City Council. There were other mistakes that were made by the housing authority.”

“The one thing that we know right now is that the way forward lies somewhere through the process,” she said, referring to the Brown Ranch Deliberation & Stewardship Team, which was recently given direction by council to proceed to Phase 2 of its process to reevaluate what might be developed at the contentious Brown Ranch site.

Shine, who responded to West’s comment directly, echoed Phillips’ suggestions to move commercial-industrial development to Brown Ranch and tied the housing problem to a key component of Shine’s platform: parks and recreation. 

“The current council could have said ‘no’ to the governor — easily said ‘no’ to the governor — and that should have happened to protect our community,” Shine said. “We spoke up … and thank goodness we did.” 

“We have no place to put our young athletes and our young kids that are out there in fields,” he said. “We need to build a sports field, build a sports complex out there, figure out the housing and move on.”

Barnes, in response to the housing question, highlighted his platform of “thoughtful growth” and discussed his “vision” for housing and transportation. 

“Should (the proposed Regional Transportation Authority) be formed, it could operate out of the same area as the commercial center, a thoughtfully planned community of single-family homes, townhomes, row homes, small-footprint homes, modular homes on slabs,” said Barnes. “These homes will be built after families and individuals are identified that need housing — not built and then just filled randomly with anybody who rolls down the path.”

Duke acknowledged Brown Ranch as a viable long-term solution but noted that short-term solutions must be sought as well. 

“How do we identify the infill opportunities right now in our community? How do we create inclusionary zoning?” Duke said. “What are the practices and the jurisdiction that the city actually has to take action on to create housing that is affordable and attainable for anybody who wants to live and work and contribute in our community?”

On the question of community character, candidates were asked what that term means to them, if they believe it is in jeopardy and, if so, what should or should not be done to maintain it.

“The houses are getting taken down, that’s destroying our character. The folks down at the park fighting to keep their open spaces … open space is part of character,” said Phillips. 

Garey tied community character directly to housing solutions and transportation, and “treating each other like we want to be treated.” 

Shine referred to penalties for STR-tax noncompliance on his short-term rental as an example of Steamboat’s loss of community character. 

“When it comes down to it, you help out, you don’t hurt your community,” Shine said. “You build policy that is correct and not policy that comes back after the fact that people complain and get upset about, and then you go back and you change the ordinance.”

West noted a level of consensus among some community members regarding “losing the soul of Steamboat,” but said that there is not necessarily consensus on what that means — and that it’s “worth a big community conversation.” 

For their third question, District 2 candidates were asked about the city’s reliance on sales tax revenue and their perspective on diversifying revenue streams given downward projections in sales tax for 2026. 

“I am for adding a property tax if we can lower the sales tax so it’s somewhat neutral to our locals, as well as figure out for our businesses — how do we reduce the impact of the Gallagher Amendment and TABOR,” said Box.

Agosta said he would want to consult the “experts” and facilitate a discussion that looks into the city’s tax codes to see if revenue streams outside of sales tax could be feasible. 

The third question for at-large candidates centered around the city’s relationship with Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., particularly following recent negotiations and funding commitments around the potential RTA.

“I think I bring a really unique perspective, knowing the players at the resort, knowing the players at Alterra, and hopefully as a council member representing the city and being able to bridge the gap between the city and the resort,” said Duke, who stepped down in August from her role as Ski Corp. communications director.

All four at-large candidates recognized the importance of a collaborative relationship between the city and Ski Corp., with Barnes and Shine advocating for a focus on the Gondola Transit Center redevelopment project — something the current council recently directed staff to no longer prioritize.

To see a full video on the event, go to SteamboatPilot.com.