Hundreds of community members gathered Thursday at The Steamboat Grand to hear a 2026 real estate forecast and learn about millions of square feet of new multi-family residences, lodging or commercial space planned to come online in Routt County in the next several years.

Representatives of approximately 15 development projects were on hand. Projects ranged from large to small and were either proposed, under construction, completed and for sale, or planned for ground-breaking, from Hayden to Steamboat Springs to southern Routt County

The largest high-rise project planned is The Stockman, with an estimated construction cost of more than $550 million, according to a broker representative. The project being developed by Alterra Mountain Co. is a mixed-used concept — with restaurants, hotel rooms, a smaller ballroom, residences and parking. Ground-breaking is expected this spring at 1965 Ski Time Square Drive. The development location sits between the TBar and Slopeside Grill, where the ski resort’s Wrangler small-surface lift currently is located.

Madisen Ladley, client services manager for The Stockman, explained Thursday evening that The Stockman is planned for a sloping site and will include seven stories on one side and nine stories on the other of the U-shaped building. A pool area is planned on the second floor inside the semi-circle that opens to the ski slopes. The project will include 59 hotel rooms on the second and third floors and 95 residences on upper floors.

Ladley said construction should take about three and half years and the building should be open “at the beginning of 2030.”

The project will include a smaller ballroom for special events or wedding receptions, Ladley said. The first floor will include a “Living Room” lounge and bar, as well as five “food and beverage concepts” that will be open to the public. Lower-level ski locker rooms for owners and hotel guests also are planned.

Ladley said a new development partner, Marquee Development in Chicago, came on board in October with Alterra. She explained the project is moving forward after the change in development partner, following the departure of a previous development partner from Texas in 2024.

According to the Marquee Development website, “We were born from professional sports team ownership as the real estate arm of the Ricketts family office, who are majority owners of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Stars and have ownership stakes in other pro sports teams around the world.”

Routt County Assessor Gary Peterson said The Stockman project is planned on a 2.25-acre site across three parcels fronting the ski slope.

Kelly Douglas, senior planner with the city of Steamboat Springs, said the Final Plat for The Stockman has been reviewed and approved with conditions.

“Conditions of both the preliminary plat and development plan approvals relate to sequencing and critical improvements such as drainage improvements, permanent storm water quality treatment facilities, Ski Time Square frontage improvements as well as south and west Promenade Extensions,” Douglas explained Monday.

Steamboat Resort President and COO Dave Hunter, who was part of a Thursday real estate panel moderated by Shawn Bertini from The Group Real Estate, said The Stockman is planned as a ski-in, ski-out, luxury “five-star” property.

According to Laura Soard, senior director of marketing and communications at the Steamboat Springs Chamber, the city is not yet home to a “five-star” property, but star levels for a property are “not one single rating system.”

“High-end amenities and above-and-beyond hospitality are typically what make a five-star hotel, and my understanding is that The Stockman is planning to meet those expectations,” Soard said. “Usually, they are given by the online travel agent like Expedia, a group like AAA, or user reviews.”

City of Steamboat Springs project planning documents available on the CityView website show The Stockman will include 440,000 square feet of mixed-used development.

For context, the county assessor listed the size of the largest properties at the Steamboat Resort base including conference or common areas, underground parking garages and any commercial units. The three largest existing buildings at the resort base include The Steamboat Grand at approximately 500,000 square feet, Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas complex at approximately 450,000 square feet and One Steamboat Place at approximately 440,000 square feet.

Haselden Construction, the same company that built One Steamboat Place, is the selected contractor for The Stockman, which was designed by Denver-based Oz Architecture.

Currently, marketing for The Stockman is a “whisper campaign,” Ladley said.

“We’re just slowly rolling things out because we are trying to get all of our information together since this project was just flipped over to Marquee in October,” said Ladley, an associate broker for Berkshire Hathaway. The project has an initial website landing page at TheStockmanResidences.com.

Some real estate agents in Steamboat have posted on blogs with early news on The Stockman, including Jon Wade, owner at The Steamboat Group, who noted, “We anticipate strong demand for these residences, as they occupy the best remaining site at the base.”