After five months of work, the Deliberation and Stewardship Team, or, DST, has officially wrapped up Phase 1 of the Brown Ranch Community Solutions Project with a clear majority signaling support to keep discussions moving forward, according to a statement released on Thursday. 

The DST is a 40-member team of community members selected by staff from the city and the Yampa Valley Housing Authority to provide direction for future development of the Brown Ranch property in Steamboat.

At the final Phase 1 meeting of the DST on Aug. 26, 33 of the 34 members present voted to continue. The vote showed 27 members in full support and six with reservations. One member opposed. 

While the vote does not decide Brown Ranch’s future, it marks progress in testing whether the community can find common ground on local housing solutions.

“This has not been easy work,” said Clark Anderson, executive director of Community Builders, a facilitation group that has been working with the DST since its inception. “But that’s exactly what makes this moment meaningful. People who began with very different perspectives on Brown Ranch chose to keep working together. That tells us a lot about both the urgency of the housing challenge and the willingness of this community to take it on.”

Since April, the DST has worked to represent a full range of views on the controversial project, weighing issues of affordability, feasibility and growth. The process has included structured dialogues, surveys and community workshops, which have drawn hundreds of participants.

The Phase 1 Summary Report will be presented to the Steamboat Springs City Council at its Sept. 9 work session, where council will decide whether to move into Phase 2.