Routt County officials are asking for public input over a set of proposed zoning and subdivision changes that could have major implications for future development in the Stagecoach area.

The proposed regulations could also provide an avenue for the Brown Ranch affordable housing development should Steamboat Springs voters reject an annexation agreement proposal set for a March 26 referendum.

Routt County Senior Planner Alan Goldich said a full draft produced by a consulting firm hired by the county is under review with plans to release the document on March 29.

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The proposed zoning and subdivision regulations are based on a vision laid out in Routt County’s 2022 Master Plan, which is available at NavigateYourRoutt.com and defines distinct areas of the county deemed suitable for different types of growth.

Specifically, the areas are classified between three tiers, with different growth objectives for each tier.

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Tier 1 includes incorporated municipal growth centers such as Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Oak Creek; Tier 2 focuses on three “targeted growth areas” to include Stagecoach, West Steamboat Springs and the unincorporated area surrounding Hayden; and Tier 3 pertains to small established communities such as Phippsburg, Milner and Clark.

The plan notes county officials and staff worked to update the vision laid out in the county’s 2003 Master Plan as a result of the area’s considerable population growth in recent years.

Between 2000 and 2018, the county recorded a 30% population increase, a trend that brought “pressure points” such as changing demographics, rising home prices, regional transportation issues and recreation conflicts, according to the 2022 Master Plan.

With respect to future growth, Goldich said the zoning and subdivision updates being considered by the county “are really going to be applicable to Stagecoach, West Steamboat and the Hayden area,” because those areas hold existing infrastructure access and have been identified for their development potential for decades.

“We aren’t really seeing any pressure on that Hayden area, but we are seeing it on West Steamboat, which is Brown Ranch and Stagecoach as well,” Goldich said.

The West Steamboat growth area encompasses the roughly 420 acres of land known as the Brown Ranch, which was purchased by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority in 2021 with a $24 million anonymous donation.

The property is the subject of a March 26 annexation referendum in which Steamboat voters will decide on the future of a proposed affordable and attainable housing development. If approved, the annexation would pave the way for the phased construction of 2,264 affordable and attainable housing units by 2042 under Steamboat’s jurisdiction.

Goldich said the county’s proposed zoning and subdivision updates could offer another avenue for the project to move forward if the annexation is voted down.

“If that annexation vote fails and it doesn’t get annexed into the city, then they do have the option of coming to the county and applying to the county for what they want to do there,” he said.

In Stagecoach, plans for increased development date back to the early 1970s when the Woodmoor Corporation acquired a large portion of land (south of Routt County Road 14 and east of Colorado Highway 131) with a vision to develop a ski mountain, golf course, equestrian center and full-service marina surrounded by thousands of single-family and multi-family units.

According to a history of the project laid out in a 2017 Stagecoach Community Plan, 16 subdivisions were platted by the corporation before “single-family lots in Stagecoach were rapidly sold to over 1,400 different owners,” with the county approving zoning to allow for up to 4,500 more dwelling units to be built.

The anticipated growth led to the creation of the Morrison Creek Metropolitan Water and Sanitation District, which sold bonds to investors and used the proceeds to construct an extensive system of water wells, pipes, sewer collection lines and a sewer treatment plant.

The Stagecoach ski area would open with three chairlifts and a temporary lodge, but 1974 brought bankruptcy to the Woodmoor group, and the full development vision petered out.

By 1999, just 78 single-family homes and 172 multi-family units were built on the Stagecoach lots. By 2017, there were 2,388 platted single-family and multi-family lots within the Stagecoach area, hosting 488 dwellings, with 1,802 lots remaining vacant.

Now, the county’s 2022 Master Plan and proposed zoning and subdivision regulations aim to build off the original vision for the Stagecoach area, identifying the section of the county as one capable of supporting future growth to include the possibility for a ski area and a golf course.

Early last year, a development group organized under the name SMV Stagecoach Ski Mountain LLC requested an administrative review from the county to receive guidance on how zoning and subdivision regulations would apply to their project. In doing so, the group submitted a project narrative laying out a vision for a private community that would include more than 750 high-end residential homes, an 18-hole golf course and the construction of five new ski lifts to serve the existing ski area. The preliminary plans also included small commercial developments for the area.

Goldich said county staff and other entities including Colorado Parks and Wildlife provided feedback on the proposal, and it was his understanding that the development group would be resubmitting an application after the county completes its zoning and subdivision updates.

“From the beginning, they have been very clear that what they want to do … they really can’t accomplish under the current zoning regulations,” Goldich said. “So, they are needing to wait until we adopt those regulations to apply for what they want.”

Chris Wittemeyer, who was listed as the registered agent of SMV Stagecoach Ski Mountain LLC when the plans were submitted in March, did not return a request for comment on the status of the plans. County property records show 145 parcels in the Stagecoach ski area are owned by SMV Stagecoach Mountain LLC, but it is unclear if Wittemeyer remains involved in the project.

A check of the state’s corporate database this week showed his name was removed as the principal agent for the entity earlier this month and replaced by Brendhan Chatham, an attorney for the Boulder-based firm Hutchinson Black and Cook. Chatham also did not return a request for comment.

County Commissioner Tim Corrigan, who represents South Routt, said he has heard from residents who expressed concerns “around what high-end, private recreational amenities mean to the character of the community.”

“I haven’t heard those concerns articulated really well, other than ‘we like Routt County the way it is’ and ‘we don’t want to be Aspen, we don’t want another Yellowstone Club, etc.’ in our community,'” he said.

Despite the “cultural concerns,” Corrigan said he thinks future growth in Stagecoach — including the development of recreational amenities — makes sense.

“I think, when the Master Plan says that Stagecoach is identified as a growth area, it is doing so in recognition of the facts on the ground there,” Corrigan said. “I would put my position as not so much desiring to encourage growth there but recognizing the reality that that is the area of the county that can accommodate more growth.”

The county commissioner added that any private development of the ski area and a golf course would likely require commitments from the developer to fund county road improvements and construct workforce housing.

The county will hold a pair of listening sessions at 4 p.m. April 18 and April 25 at the old Routt County Courthouse. Residents can also provide feedback by taking an online survey to help inform the zoning and subdivision review process. The survey can be found at NavigateYourRoutt.com.

Corrigan said the proposed zoning and subdivision regulations are defining factors for “the character of the community,” and he encouraged residents to get involved in the review process, adding that growth in the county is inevitable.

“In a perfect world, like many other people that live in Routt County, I really like Routt County the way it is,” Corrigan said. “It is a beautiful place. It is a great place to live and work and raise your family, but having said that, I think it is pretty myopic to think that we can somehow stop growth by simply not approving new subdivisions.”

This article was updated with the date and times for the county’s listening sessions scheduled for April 18 and April 25 at 4 p.m. inside the old Routt County Courthouse.