STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The Steamboat Springs Planning Commission approved a preliminary plan to subdivide a 4-acre lot that runs from the Kutuk Condominiums to the Clock Tower property in Ski Time Square, near the base of Steamboat Resort.

DBT Development wants to build its Thunderhead Station building on a 0.65-acre piece of land that runs east from Burgess Creek to Kutuk Road. The 23,000-square-foot mixed development would include four condominiums and residential parking, along with retail and commercial spaces on the bottom floor.

Subdividing the property would create a second lot of 3.38 acres to be developed later. The larger parcel includes the old Tugboat Restaurant and current parking lot west of Burgess Creek.

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“This subdivision represents an exciting first step in the redevelopment of the Ski Time Square neighborhood,” said David Baldinger, co-chair of the Urban Redevelopment Authority Advisory Committee. The committee is part of Steamboat’s Urban Renewal Authority, a special tax district created to improve and revitalize the Steamboat Resort base area with input from adjoining residents.

During Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting, the developers agreed to change an existing dirt path from Ski Time Square Condos to the mountain base with an 8-foot sidewalk and provide public easements for existing sidewalks that run along the property.

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They also asked for a variance to the required 15% open space subdivision standard because the same requirement will be applied to any development application on either parcel in the future.

Commissioners Rich Levy and Tom Ptach expressed concerns that visions of the Mountain Town Sub-Area plan would not be met. Levy specifically asked how existing sidewalks would meet the goals of a larger promenade and increased pedestrian activity along Ski Times Square.

City planners and the project manager for DBT said they are currently working with the URA’s advisory committee on how to best proceed.

“At this time, it’s unclear what the Ski Time Square road alignment and streetscape will look like,” said Brian Bavosi, project manager for Thunderhead Station. “The URA has been working diligently to come up with a design for a turnaround to get people in and out of Ski Time Square.”

Currently, the road dead ends in front of the T-Bar property and The Antlers at Christie Base. 

He also pointed to the current parking and sidewalks running along Ski Town Square road in front of DBT’s property.  

“Knowing that the current right-of-way is 100-feet wide, there’s a lot of flexibility with our future applications once the URA determines their goals for parking,” Bavosi said.

For example, enough space should be available for anything from wider sidewalks to pocket parks to kiosks, he explained.

DBT Development’s project now heads to the Steamboat Springs City Council for approval of the preliminary plat during the council’s June 2 meeting.

DBT is based out of Washington, D.C., and owned by long-time Steamboat Springs homeowner David Tolson.

Previous plans to redevelop the once-hopping Ski Time Square area were scrapped during the recession of 2007-08.

DBT’s Tolson bought the 4-acre lot at Ski Time Square in September 2019, along with a ski-in/ski-out parcel next to Creeekside at Torian Plum and Slopeside Grill. The site was the former location of Thunderhead Lodge and Condominiums.

Frances Hohl is a contributing writer for Steamboat Pilot & Today.