The Steamboat Springs school board has approved district administrators to move forward with selling an undevelopable 5-acre parcel of land near Sleeping Giant School.

Unlike the rest of the property the district owns in the area, this parcel is on the south side of U.S. Highway 40. The land has about 2.5 acres at road level with the rest featuring a steep cliff down to the Yampa River.

“We’re bringing this to you to consider for disposal because it’s been identified as undevelopable and unusable, and there is an interested party,” Stephanie Juneau, the district’s finance manager, told the school board on Monday, Aug. 29.

---

---

The parcel is part of a larger piece of land across the highway that is adjacent to the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s Brown Ranch. Jason Peasley, executive director of the housing authority, told the school board last month the land isn’t suitable for development.

“I’m sad because I had such high hopes for the river access being used,” said board member Chresta Brinkman. “I remember having a conversation about the safety and the viability of that property and that there wasn’t a safe way to get the students there.”

---

---

Brinkman said they discussed busing students to the property so they could use the river, but there isn’t a safe place for buses to park. There also isn’t a safe route down to the river.

Juneau said county planners indicated they wouldn’t support subdividing it away from the other land the district owns because the lot is so small. This means the district can only sell it to an adjacent landowner and redraw lot lines.

An adjacent landowner has expressed interest. Juneau did not disclose the offer or the potential buyer but said she thought it was a fair offer.

“We have interested parties at this time, which may or may not be the case down the line,” said board member Alissa Merage.

To reach Dylan Anderson, call 970-871-4247 or email danderson@SteamboatPilot.com.