Discovery Land Company, the developer of Stagecoach Mountain Ranch, the proposed 6,100-acre private ski area near Stagecoach Reservoir, has responded to comments made by the Steamboat Springs City Council on the development, according to an email sent to councilors on Friday. 

At the heart of the company’s letter and accompanying 14-page response memo are point-by-point rebuttals to council’s concerns, as discussed in their Oct. 14 meeting — ranging from traffic congestion and housing pressures to water quality and the project’s broader socioeconomic footprint.

“We would like to take this opportunity to address some of the concerns raised and clarify any misinformation that may have arisen,” wrote Kyle Collins, Discovery Land Company’s vice president of architecture and planning, in the email. “Our goal is to foster strong and transparent relationships with the community throughout the entitlement and development process.”

Collins explained that the company paused its plans in 2023 to allow Routt County to finalize its Unified Development Code. That delay, he wrote, ensured that the project was “fully compliant” with the county’s 2024 zoning framework emphasizing public benefit, sustainability and housing affordability.

The company’s formal application, submitted in December 2024, outlines a 6,100-acre master-planned resort and residential community anchored by a private ski area and extensive conservation land. 

“Our plan aligns with both the 2017 Stagecoach Community Plan and the 2022 Routt County Master Plan, incorporating its recommendations and providing community benefits,” Collins wrote.

Workforce housing

One of the most glaring issues raised by Councilor Amy Dickson last week was housing for the project’s roughly 480 full-time equivalent employees. She questioned where the employees who do not acquire workforce housing units offered by the development will live, citing the “pressure” it may put on Steamboat.

While councilors cited Discovery Land Company’s plans for just 95 workforce units, Collins clarified that the application proposes 137 workforce housing units, “exceeding county code baseline requirements.”

“Ninety-five units of ‘affordable’ public workforce housing available through procedures identified by Routt County to qualified local applicants (not restricted to Stagecoach Mountain Ranch employees),” wrote Collins, who added that the units will accommodate around 200 county residents.

The remaining 42 units are designated specifically for Stagecoach Mountain Ranch employees, he added, which would house between 135-180 people.

“Publicly accessible units are to be managed with local authority/partnerships as determined by the county,” Collins wrote. “Units are intended for critical local workers: teachers, first responders, hospital workers, local small business employees.”

The memo also emphasized that these homes will be centrally located near the proposed Community Marketplace and public park rather than pushed to the edge of the development. 

Roads, wildlife and emergency preparedness

Councilors also highlighted anxieties around traffic from Stagecoach Mountain Ranch residents on Colorado Highway 131, given how many commuters already travel that corridor daily. 

In response, Collins cited a traffic impact study included with the application.

“At full occupancy, (the study) forecasts less than 50% occupancy of the Stagecoach Mountain Ranch  residential units at any one time (based on comparable resort communities), as well as the internal trips captured within the development, mitigating traffic load estimates,” wrote Collins.

The company said it will contribute financially to county road funds for upgrades, add turn lanes and signage, and stage its construction traffic to reduce congestion, per the study’s recommendations.

Discovery also pledges shuttles for employees commuting from Steamboat and Oak Creek and points to parking space at the development’s Community Marketplace for “future Regional Transportation Authority” transit connections.

Collins’ memo also outlined what the company calls a “multi-pronged” wildfire mitigation plan, one the company insists “far exceeds baseline requirements.” 

That includes building a secondary emergency egress for Stagecoach residents connecting to Highway 131, installing 1.5 million gallons of new firefighting water storage and contributing $1.5 million to the Oak Creek Fire Protection District.

New shaded fuel breaks, fire-rated building materials and defensible landscaping would also be required across the project’s development area. The company further pledges to pursue Firewise USA certification and partner with local and state forest officials on prescribed burns and vegetation management.

Water quality and wildlife assurances

Several council members echoed Dickson’s apprehension at council’s meeting last week concerning potential impacts on Stagecoach Reservoir and the Yampa River. 

In its response, the company leans on two technical reports — a Water Quality Management Plan and a Nutrient Loading Report — asserting that effluent and runoff will meet or exceed state and local standards. It also touts advanced stormwater controls and composting systems as part of its infrastructure investments.

“All aspects of potential impacts related to water quality are subject to the strictest local and state review protocols,” wrote Collins. “Stagecoach Mountain Ranch’s application includes adequate system upgrades, funding and operational planning.”

In regard to wildlife habitats, Discovery Land Company said 88% of its approximately 6,100-acre development tract — over 5,300 acres — will remain protected open space. Wildlife corridors, the company claims, will preserve elk migration routes and buffer riparian zones along the Yampa River and its tributaries.

Plans call for seasonal trail closures during nesting or wintering periods, pet restrictions and property fencing rules. The memo also commits to ongoing wildlife monitoring and adaptive management measures “if unanticipated impacts occur.”

According to Collins, Stagecoach Mountain Ranch could generate up to $29 million a year in property taxes at full buildout — more than Routt County’s entire 2024 general fund, he added — and an estimated $12 million annually for the South Routt School District, “helping offset the looming loss of coal industry-based mill levy funding.”

Those figures, he added, are drawn from a fiscal analysis already under review by independent county consultants.

“The anticipated fiscal benefit, particularly stabilization and enhancement of South Routt School funding, is a foundational rationale for the project’s scale and mix of uses, aligning with both local government and community priorities,” wrote Collins.

Sustainability and airport concerns

In addressing environmental sustainability, the Discovery memo notes solar-ready home designs, electric heating and cooking requirements, EV charging infrastructure and dark-sky lighting standards. 

Lot layouts are intended to minimize slope disturbance and preserve natural drainage. Stormwater management, waste composting, and energy efficiency benchmarks apply equally to workforce and market-rate housing.

Councilors also made comments about potential jet traffic over Steamboat due to Stagecoach Mountain Ranch residents flying in through Bob Adams Airport. In response, Collins explained that due to Bob Adams Airport’s 4,452-foot runway and high-elevation limitations, Discovery Land Company expects most private and charter flights to land instead at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport near Hayden.

Because the development lies outside of city limits, city council members have no regulatory authority over the project, but have nonetheless argued that indirect impacts on housing, traffic and emergency services make Steamboat an inevitable stakeholder in discussions on the project.

Council will likely address Discovery Land Company’s response at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21 in advance of finalizing a formal comment letter to Routt County.