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Steamboat City Council, School Board to meet tonight

Discussion tonight to include schools’ budget, education ideas

Mike Lawrence

If you go

What: Steamboat Springs City Council meeting

When: 5 p.m. today

Where: Centennial Hall, 124 10th St.

Contact: Visit http://steamboatsprings.net or call 970-879-2060 for more information.

On the agenda

4 p.m. Executive, or secret, session to discuss issues related to water rights involving a proposed development in the Slate Creek area and “possible acquisition of real property related to a Great Outdoors Colorado legacy grant to the city.”

5 p.m. Joint meetings with the Steamboat Springs School Board, Education Fund Board and Steamboat Springs Planning Commission; appointments to the Ice Rink Advisory Committee and the Urban Redevelopment Area Advisory Committee; resolution that would approve new contract with Triple Crown Sports

7 p.m. Public comment; second reading of ordinance that would approve agreement related to construction of Gossard Parkway in western Steamboat; second reading of proposed changes to the city’s community development code, including changes to dimensional standards and open space requirements

On the agenda

4 p.m. Executive, or secret, session to discuss issues related to water rights involving a proposed development in the Slate Creek area and “possible acquisition of real property related to a Great Outdoors Colorado legacy grant to the city.”

5 p.m. Joint meetings with the Steamboat Springs School Board, Education Fund Board and Steamboat Springs Planning Commission; appointments to the Ice Rink Advisory Committee and the Urban Redevelopment Area Advisory Committee; resolution that would approve new contract with Triple Crown Sports

7 p.m. Public comment; second reading of ordinance that would approve agreement related to construction of Gossard Parkway in western Steamboat; second reading of proposed changes to the city’s community development code, including changes to dimensional standards and open space requirements



— City officials will get a hefty dose of input about local education tonight.

The Steamboat Springs City Council is scheduled to meet with the Steamboat Springs School Board, then the Education Fund Board, for open, potentially wide-ranging discussions about local school funding and improvement ideas. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Centennial Hall on 10th Street.



Also on the agenda is the second and potentially final reading of an ordinance that would approve agreements related to land needed for construction of Gossard Parkway in western Steamboat Springs, and proposed changes to Steamboat’s community development code, including new exceptions for height restrictions and open space requirements.

School Board President Rob­in Crossan said Monday that tonight’s meeting is similar to the many recent discussions the School Board has had with local organizations. After briefing City Council on the Steamboat Springs School District’s budget, Crossan said, the floor will be open for thoughts about local education.

“We’re just trying to get as many people in the community to talk about what’s important in education as we can,” Crossan said.

The School Board has a full-day retreat Friday to discuss issues including policy governance, results policies and the Steamboat Springs School District’s strategic plan. Crossan said tonight’s meeting will help school officials guide their discussions Friday.

Parkway agreement

During its June 1 meeting, City Council voted, 6-0, to give initial approval to an agreement with Charles “C.D.” Johnson, who owns Johnson Excavation and its lot on Downhill Drive at a future intersection with Gossard Parkway. Councilman Scott Myller was absent that night.

The agreement is a partial settlement with Johnson after the city took eminent domain action to claim about 1,300 square feet of his lot for construction of the parkway.

Johnson has expressed his support for the agreement, which is separate from lawsuits related to Gossard Parkway that are pending action from the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Code changes

Also June 1, City Council voted, 4-2, to give initial approval to several community development code changes proposed by the city’s Planning and Community Development Department.

City Councilman Jim Engel­ken and City Council­woman Meg Bentley opposed the changes, which are up for a second and potentially final reading tonight.

The changes include allowing required waterbody setbacks to be counted toward a new development’s open space requirement, and allowing some architectural features — such as domes, cupolas and spires — to not count toward a building’s maximum height if the features cover less than 10 percent of a building’s total roof area and are less than 50 percent of its maximum height.

“I think as a whole, in total, this potentially has a significant change on the look and feel about Steamboat Springs over the long haul,” Engelken said June 1 of the cumulative changes. “These proposed changes are more appropriate for a large city where you are trying to pack as much into a small space as you can. … I think this is way over the top.”

Jonathan Spence, of the city’s Department of Planning and Community Development, downplayed the changes’ significance when considering the number and kind of variances requested by developers in the past five to seven years — and likely in the future, he said.

“I think we’re recognizing that these setbacks are kind of out of whack with the kind of development that we’re going to see,” Spence said June 1 about the current regulations.


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