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.

The steering committee will meet again Friday, March 25, to continue discussions about density.

Some of the questions being proposed by Yampa Valley Housing Authority Executive Director Jason Peasley include: How much is the housing authority going to develop and how densely should it build the units to meet efficiency and sustainability goals, while also addressing housing demand and the desire for a walkable community with meaningful open space?

The consultants shared a slide illustrating the areas of Brown Ranch that could be developed. Although the property is 536 acres, 116 acres are not able to be developed because of steep slopes, creeks and setbacks, and another 114 acres are outside the Urban Growth Boundary, resulting in 324 acres available for development.

Additionally, the housing demand focus team reported there is the demand for about 2,500 units by 2040.

The Steering Committee has expressed support for building about 800 units in the first phase of development, but committee members asked consultants to provide more information about the number of units per acre and the percentage of apartments and condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.

Ultimately, the number of units and their density will help define infrastructure needs.