Creekview homes may be done in August
Developers say they are moving forward on motel plans
Friday, June 27, 2008
Hayden — The first section of Hayden’s Creekview development should be finished by about mid-August, developers Stefanus and Louis Nijsten said.
The segment includes one building with seven retail units on the first floor and eight condos on the second floor, and a set of six townhomes. In early April, all of the condos had been reserved.
“We’ve lost some of the reservations because they were really low-priced, and it was a time when people were just buying,” Stefanus Nijsten said. “We are getting more buyers, and these are people who are actually going to live there.”
Four townhomes, four condos and four retail slots are available, he said. The three-bedroom townhomes cost $310,000 to $320,000, and the one- and two-bedroom condos range from $180,000 to $205,000. Retail spots cost $120,000 to $300,000.
The development, which includes the Creekview Grill, sits on 3.21 acres south of U.S. Highway 40, east of Dry Creek and west of an alley between Fifth and Sixth streets. It is slated to include two more sets of five townhomes each, which are under construction. The Nijsten brothers hope to finish the whole project by the end of the year, Louis Nijsten said.
The development eventually could include a motel, Stefanus Nijsten said.
“We are having conversations with a party that would like to have a motel,” he said. “I’ve got a design for it, and right now, we’re basically in the contract phase where the job is going to get contracted and the price negotiated. The goal with that deal is to break ground this fall.”
Annette Hall is co-listing the units with Louis Nijsten through Mount Werner Realty. The retailers will include a tile and wood flooring shop, an appliance center and a sales office for the Creekview development.
The partners also are setting up a Mount Werner/Creekview office at 131 W. Jefferson Ave. in downtown Hayden. They signed a deal on that office Thursday and plan to open Tuesday, Hall said.
Hall said she thought both offices would keep busy. She said she is showing spaces at Creekview almost daily.
“We’re pretty proud of the project,” she said.
Louis Nijsten said he thought construction of the next 10 townhomes would move quickly.
“The buildings are so similar, it’s going to be easier to just get them done,” he said.
If all goes well, the crew could move on to construction of the motel during the winter, he said. Stefanus Nijsten still plans to move into one of the townhomes.
“Myself, I’m getting pretty excited about it, too,” he said. “It’s all taking shape. … I’m really looking forward to moving out there. It’s just another motivation to get it done.”
— To reach Blythe Terrell, call 871-4234 or e-mail bterrell@steamboatpilot.com
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Friday, June 27, 2008
Steamboat Springs Businesses Opening Soon
Businesses opening soon
Two galleries, music store, restaurant plan to open downtown
By Blythe Terrell - Steamboat Pilot & Today Reporter
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Steamboat Springs — A pack of downtown businesses are set to open in the next several weeks.
Sleeping Giant Gallery, Wild Horse Gallery and All That Jazz aim to open at their new Lincoln Avenue locations this week, and Boat House Pub hopes to open in mid-July.
Sleeping Giant Gallery’s new location at Sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue should be open Wednesday, said Don Tudor, who owns the gallery with his wife, Cully Kistler. All That Jazz is scheduled to open next door the same day.
Wild Horse Gallery is opening a downtown location in addition to its Sheraton Steamboat Resort Hotel store. The gallery is slated to be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and has planned a grand opening for 4 to 8 p.m. that day, co-owner Shirley Stocks said.
“We’ll have some refreshments, and some of the artists will be there,” Stocks said. “It’s just kind of a regular grand opening.”
Wild Horse is in the former Alpine Electronics spot at 802 Lincoln Ave., which once housed Routt National Bank.
“It’s coming along really well,” Stocks said Monday about the construction. “We were able to get up to the original tin ceiling. … We have the vault still in the back. We’ve kind of gone with a more period look back to the old bank. We’re excited. The carpet’s going in today. We’re just clicking along; we’ll start hanging art on probably Thursday or Friday.”
Boat House Pub’s liquor license is under review, and the restaurant has not set an opening date, General Manager Joe Schuetz said. The pub at 609 Yampa St. still is under construction and is hiring staff, Schuetz said.
Boat House plans to offer pub fare such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, Maryland crab cakes, steaks, corned beef and cabbage and black-and-tan onion rings, Schuetz said. The crab cakes are a salute to the owners, Dr. Dennis Frank and Howard Ulep of Annapolis, Md.
The restaurant sits on the Yampa River and has patios on the first and second floor.
“It is going to be one rocking place,” Schuetz predicted. “It is going to be busy.”
Entrée prices will range from $8.95 to $22 or $23, he said.
“Our philosophy is that we want to go middle of the road,” Schuetz said. “We don’t think there’s enough middle of the road in town. We want to be local-friendly with our atmosphere and our price point.”
Boat House also will have a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. every day, during which drink and appetizer prices will drop by $1.
“It’s going to be pub fare and a pub atmosphere with beautiful river dining,” Schuetz said.
— To reach Blythe Terrell, call 871-4234 or e-mail bterrell@steamboatpilot.com
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Two galleries, music store, restaurant plan to open downtown
By Blythe Terrell - Steamboat Pilot & Today Reporter
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Steamboat Springs — A pack of downtown businesses are set to open in the next several weeks.
Sleeping Giant Gallery, Wild Horse Gallery and All That Jazz aim to open at their new Lincoln Avenue locations this week, and Boat House Pub hopes to open in mid-July.
Sleeping Giant Gallery’s new location at Sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue should be open Wednesday, said Don Tudor, who owns the gallery with his wife, Cully Kistler. All That Jazz is scheduled to open next door the same day.
Wild Horse Gallery is opening a downtown location in addition to its Sheraton Steamboat Resort Hotel store. The gallery is slated to be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and has planned a grand opening for 4 to 8 p.m. that day, co-owner Shirley Stocks said.
“We’ll have some refreshments, and some of the artists will be there,” Stocks said. “It’s just kind of a regular grand opening.”
Wild Horse is in the former Alpine Electronics spot at 802 Lincoln Ave., which once housed Routt National Bank.
“It’s coming along really well,” Stocks said Monday about the construction. “We were able to get up to the original tin ceiling. … We have the vault still in the back. We’ve kind of gone with a more period look back to the old bank. We’re excited. The carpet’s going in today. We’re just clicking along; we’ll start hanging art on probably Thursday or Friday.”
Boat House Pub’s liquor license is under review, and the restaurant has not set an opening date, General Manager Joe Schuetz said. The pub at 609 Yampa St. still is under construction and is hiring staff, Schuetz said.
Boat House plans to offer pub fare such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, Maryland crab cakes, steaks, corned beef and cabbage and black-and-tan onion rings, Schuetz said. The crab cakes are a salute to the owners, Dr. Dennis Frank and Howard Ulep of Annapolis, Md.
The restaurant sits on the Yampa River and has patios on the first and second floor.
“It is going to be one rocking place,” Schuetz predicted. “It is going to be busy.”
Entrée prices will range from $8.95 to $22 or $23, he said.
“Our philosophy is that we want to go middle of the road,” Schuetz said. “We don’t think there’s enough middle of the road in town. We want to be local-friendly with our atmosphere and our price point.”
Boat House also will have a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. every day, during which drink and appetizer prices will drop by $1.
“It’s going to be pub fare and a pub atmosphere with beautiful river dining,” Schuetz said.
— To reach Blythe Terrell, call 871-4234 or e-mail bterrell@steamboatpilot.com
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
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Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
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E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Oil in Routt County
Interest in oil rising
Texas company pays $30.5 million for mineral rights west of Steamboat
By Tom Ross (Contact) - Steamboat Pilot & Today Reporter
Monday, June 23, 2008
Steamboat Springs — Driving from Steamboat Springs west to Yampa Valley Regional Airport, it’s difficult to envision the giant lake of oil beneath the surface of U.S. Highway 40 and the winding Yampa River.
But the oil is down there, and there are increasing signs that the escalating price of crude is sparking fresh interest in getting at Routt County’s natural supply.
Less than two weeks ago, a San Antonio-based limited liability company, NRC-CO 1, created by another LLC in San Antonio, Texas, paid $30.5 million for subsurface mineral rights beneath 12 parcels of land. The parcels are in the vicinity of Milner and the abandoned coal mining town of Mount Harris. Timothy Hasler, a Fort Collins attorney who is the registered agent with the Colorado Secretary of State for NRC-CO 1, declined to characterize his clients’ interest in the Routt County mineral rights. The San Antonio entity that created NRC-CO 1 is called NRC Group, LLC.
There is a large Russian holding company also called NRC Group that has interests in oil exploration as well as banking, hotel development and commercial aviation. Hasler said he is unaware of any connection between the company he represents in Texas and the Russian company.
Routt County Assessor Mike Kerrigan says he sees the evidence of increased interest in energy exploration every day in his office at the Routt County Courthouse.
“For the last month and a half, we’ve had at least two land men in our office daily,” Kerrigan said. “Sometimes, there are five or six. We aren’t equipped to handle them, and they take turns,” using computers to research the status of mineral leases in the valley west of Steamboat.
Land men, in industry parlance, are agents who seek to tie up oil and mineral leases and then market them to oil exploration companies.
“These people are looking for oil,” Kerrigan said.
A Web page maintained by the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission confirms that a well on Wolf Mountain Ranch in North Routt consistently has produced between 5,000 and 7,000 barrels of oil a month since May 2005. That well recently changed hands from Infinity Oil to Forest Oil.
Andy Lydyard told the Steamboat Pilot & Today in the summer of 2007 that there could be nearly 200 million barrels of oil — enough to meet U.S. demands for about 10 days — underground between Steamboat and Hayden. It’s contained in a geologic feature known as the Tow Creek Anticline.
“It’s a very large anticline cut through the middle by the Yampa River,” he said at the time. “When you drive from Steamboat Springs to Hayden, you go right through the middle of an oil field.”
Lydyard is the managing director of an Australian exploration company, Comet Ridge Limited.
Comet Ridge currently is reopening old oil wells that were capped in the 1940s and using modern technology to get at oil that wasn’t accessible 60 years ago.
Routt County Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush said Comet Ridge is an example of a responsible energy exploration company.
“They’ve been very good to work with,” she said. However, learning from the experience of neighboring Rio Blanco County, she and her fellow commissioners have been tightening county regulations. The commissioners are preparing for the day when the number of energy exploration companies working here could boom as it has in nearby counties.
“Several years ago, we saw an increase from almost no drilling permit applications to several,” Mitsch Bush said. “We were already acutely aware of the boom in Garfield and Mesa counties for oil, natural gas and coal bed methane,” she said.
Routt County has tightened up its energy exploration regulations particularly when it comes to protecting water quality, she added.
One of the lessons Routt County has learned from Rio Blanco County is that coal companies are relatively easy to deal with because they are large and there are only one or two of them in a county. When it comes to oil, gas and coal bed methane, Mitsch Bush said, local governments can find themselves dealing with dozens of companies.
Routt County Planner Chris Brookshire said her office has not seen a rush of oil exploration companies applying for permits this year.
“We saw some seismic (testing) and oil drilling in the 1980s, but then it dropped dead for years,” Brookshire said. “Lately, it’s been slowly gaining speed heading up from Garfield” county.
— To reach Tom Ross, call 871-4205 or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
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Texas company pays $30.5 million for mineral rights west of Steamboat
By Tom Ross (Contact) - Steamboat Pilot & Today Reporter
Monday, June 23, 2008
Steamboat Springs — Driving from Steamboat Springs west to Yampa Valley Regional Airport, it’s difficult to envision the giant lake of oil beneath the surface of U.S. Highway 40 and the winding Yampa River.
But the oil is down there, and there are increasing signs that the escalating price of crude is sparking fresh interest in getting at Routt County’s natural supply.
Less than two weeks ago, a San Antonio-based limited liability company, NRC-CO 1, created by another LLC in San Antonio, Texas, paid $30.5 million for subsurface mineral rights beneath 12 parcels of land. The parcels are in the vicinity of Milner and the abandoned coal mining town of Mount Harris. Timothy Hasler, a Fort Collins attorney who is the registered agent with the Colorado Secretary of State for NRC-CO 1, declined to characterize his clients’ interest in the Routt County mineral rights. The San Antonio entity that created NRC-CO 1 is called NRC Group, LLC.
There is a large Russian holding company also called NRC Group that has interests in oil exploration as well as banking, hotel development and commercial aviation. Hasler said he is unaware of any connection between the company he represents in Texas and the Russian company.
Routt County Assessor Mike Kerrigan says he sees the evidence of increased interest in energy exploration every day in his office at the Routt County Courthouse.
“For the last month and a half, we’ve had at least two land men in our office daily,” Kerrigan said. “Sometimes, there are five or six. We aren’t equipped to handle them, and they take turns,” using computers to research the status of mineral leases in the valley west of Steamboat.
Land men, in industry parlance, are agents who seek to tie up oil and mineral leases and then market them to oil exploration companies.
“These people are looking for oil,” Kerrigan said.
A Web page maintained by the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission confirms that a well on Wolf Mountain Ranch in North Routt consistently has produced between 5,000 and 7,000 barrels of oil a month since May 2005. That well recently changed hands from Infinity Oil to Forest Oil.
Andy Lydyard told the Steamboat Pilot & Today in the summer of 2007 that there could be nearly 200 million barrels of oil — enough to meet U.S. demands for about 10 days — underground between Steamboat and Hayden. It’s contained in a geologic feature known as the Tow Creek Anticline.
“It’s a very large anticline cut through the middle by the Yampa River,” he said at the time. “When you drive from Steamboat Springs to Hayden, you go right through the middle of an oil field.”
Lydyard is the managing director of an Australian exploration company, Comet Ridge Limited.
Comet Ridge currently is reopening old oil wells that were capped in the 1940s and using modern technology to get at oil that wasn’t accessible 60 years ago.
Routt County Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush said Comet Ridge is an example of a responsible energy exploration company.
“They’ve been very good to work with,” she said. However, learning from the experience of neighboring Rio Blanco County, she and her fellow commissioners have been tightening county regulations. The commissioners are preparing for the day when the number of energy exploration companies working here could boom as it has in nearby counties.
“Several years ago, we saw an increase from almost no drilling permit applications to several,” Mitsch Bush said. “We were already acutely aware of the boom in Garfield and Mesa counties for oil, natural gas and coal bed methane,” she said.
Routt County has tightened up its energy exploration regulations particularly when it comes to protecting water quality, she added.
One of the lessons Routt County has learned from Rio Blanco County is that coal companies are relatively easy to deal with because they are large and there are only one or two of them in a county. When it comes to oil, gas and coal bed methane, Mitsch Bush said, local governments can find themselves dealing with dozens of companies.
Routt County Planner Chris Brookshire said her office has not seen a rush of oil exploration companies applying for permits this year.
“We saw some seismic (testing) and oil drilling in the 1980s, but then it dropped dead for years,” Brookshire said. “Lately, it’s been slowly gaining speed heading up from Garfield” county.
— To reach Tom Ross, call 871-4205 or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
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Barn Village Lots
Barn Village developers plan price increase
By Tom Ross (Contact) - Steamboat Pilot Reporter
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Steamboat Springs — The three undeveloped lots closest to the historic More Barn in Barn Village at Steamboat have been tied up.
Barn Village is a residential subdivision under construction at Pine Grove Road and Central Park Drive. Fish Creek and the Yampa Valley Medical Center border the subdivision.
Developer Bob Comes and his partner Eric McAfee were recognized this week by Historic Routt County for funding the conservation of the More Barn. Comes brought his family from California for the presentation at the historic Mesa Schoolhouse, south of the city.
The developers also have donated 4 acres to the city for the creation of Barn Park surrounding the actual structure.
Buyers already are showing signs they value proximity to the park as well as the shortest walking distances to Central Park Plaza shopping center across Pine Grove Road.
A one-third-acre duplex lot on the western end of the subdivision, and just across the internal road from the park, has closed. Three more duplex lots on the eastern end of a row of duplex lots along Fish Creek are under contract. Asking prices for those three were $1.025 million and $1.125 million.
A pair of single-family lots just less than 0.2 acres across the street from the park also are tied up. One is sold and another is under contract based on an asking price of $522,500.
All told, Realtor Chris Wittemyer said, nine lots at Barn Village have closed and six more are under contract.
“We will see additional closings at the end of June and have scheduled our first price increase of 5 percent on all lots for July 15,” Wittemyer said. “The total dollar volume of lots sold and under contract exceeds $10 million. Given the challenges in the credit markets and the national and local problems of the real estate market for the last year, I’m highly encouraged.”
Wittemyer said several of the purchasers are anxious to begin building.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
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By Tom Ross (Contact) - Steamboat Pilot Reporter
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Steamboat Springs — The three undeveloped lots closest to the historic More Barn in Barn Village at Steamboat have been tied up.
Barn Village is a residential subdivision under construction at Pine Grove Road and Central Park Drive. Fish Creek and the Yampa Valley Medical Center border the subdivision.
Developer Bob Comes and his partner Eric McAfee were recognized this week by Historic Routt County for funding the conservation of the More Barn. Comes brought his family from California for the presentation at the historic Mesa Schoolhouse, south of the city.
The developers also have donated 4 acres to the city for the creation of Barn Park surrounding the actual structure.
Buyers already are showing signs they value proximity to the park as well as the shortest walking distances to Central Park Plaza shopping center across Pine Grove Road.
A one-third-acre duplex lot on the western end of the subdivision, and just across the internal road from the park, has closed. Three more duplex lots on the eastern end of a row of duplex lots along Fish Creek are under contract. Asking prices for those three were $1.025 million and $1.125 million.
A pair of single-family lots just less than 0.2 acres across the street from the park also are tied up. One is sold and another is under contract based on an asking price of $522,500.
All told, Realtor Chris Wittemyer said, nine lots at Barn Village have closed and six more are under contract.
“We will see additional closings at the end of June and have scheduled our first price increase of 5 percent on all lots for July 15,” Wittemyer said. “The total dollar volume of lots sold and under contract exceeds $10 million. Given the challenges in the credit markets and the national and local problems of the real estate market for the last year, I’m highly encouraged.”
Wittemyer said several of the purchasers are anxious to begin building.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
Affordable Housing Struggles... First Tracks
Deed-restricted affordable housing project struggles to hit mandate target
By Tom Ross (Contact)- Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Despite appearances, developers confirm the First Tracks deed-restricted housing project is on schedule to be completed sooner than nearby Trailhead Lodge. Excavation work currently is under way and a spokesman for Resort Ventures West said the exterior of the building will be taking shape by late summer. Photo by Tom Ross
Steamboat Springs — The developers of First Tracks deed-restricted affordable housing say they may not be able to sell the condominiums to the target market without the city’s cooperation in changes to the project’s approved housing plan.
“We’ve done everything we could,” Brent Pearson said. “It’s just been difficult to get people to buy into it based on the facts of the deed restrictions.”
Pearson is vice president of Resort Ventures West, developers of the larger Wildhorse Meadows project adjacent to Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.’s Meadows parking lot. The first phase of First Tracks is under construction and being built to satisfy the city’s affordable housing requirements for Trailhead Lodge within Wildhorse Meadows, as well as for an unrelated project, One Steamboat Place, at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area gondola.
Nancy Engelken, the city’s community housing coordinator, already has presented the Steamboat Springs City Council with several options for amending the project’s Community Housing Plan, to make the deed-restricted units more attractive to buyers. City Council might wait to take action until the results of a demand analysis study of the city’s affordable needs are released later in the summer.
Pearson said his company’s perception is that many potential buyers continue to be tempted by market-rate housing and are resistant to accepting the limited appreciation of a deed-restricted home.
“From our standpoint, the difficulty is due to the size of the gap” between the price of market-rate and open-market housing, Pearson said. “It’s not as large as originally perceived. The inability to find these buyers is due to the deed restrictions. People who could stretch to market-rate housing tend to veer off.”
The deed restrictions cap annual appreciation of the condominiums for resale purposes at 3 percent.
Resort Ventures West Development Manager Mariana Ishida said pricing of the deed-restricted units is complex and varies with household size and percentage of the area median income for those different households.
However, for purposes of comparison, she said, she uses an 1,140-square foot, two-bedroom unit, where she assumes three people will live.
At 80 percent AMI for a household of three — $51,475 — the two-bedroom units are priced at $213,000. For a similar-sized household making 100 percent of the AMI, or $64,350, the price is $266,000. At 120 percent AMI, or $77,200, the price jumps to $319,000.
Size versus market
And here’s the rub. A family of three earning $77,200 could shop for a 920-square-foot Whistler Village townhome with a remodeled kitchen and hardwood living room floor currently listed at $322,000.
That home is more than 200 square feet smaller, but for $3,000 the buyers would know they could participate fully in equity growth in Steamboat’s resort market.
There are other similarly priced condos for sale on the Steamboat Springs Multiple Listing Service.
Resort Ventures West needs buyers at 120 percent to achieve its average for the entire project of 100 percent AMI, but most of the buyers who are intent on buying at First Tracks make less money.
“We’ve been working since January to collect the names of interested buyers, educate them and work toward commitments,” Ishida said. “But the average is coming out to be 80 percent” AMI.
In a memo to City Council, Ishida and Pearson said they initially collected the names of 300 interested households. Of those, 65 percent were below 80 percent AMI, 25 percent were between 80 and 120 percent of AMI and 10 percent were above 120 percent.
When Resort Ventures West moved to the education phase, only half of the 300 households remained in the mix. And when they began the nitty-gritty work of qualifying prospective buyers for deed-restricted housing, only 50 were in the hunt. The developers wound up with 36 qualified buyers for the 47 condominium homes and their certified average medium incomes in aggregate were 80 percent.
Resort Ventures West has formally asked City Council to consider amending its approved Community Housing Plan in an effort to hit the 100 percent average AMI target. Pearson stressed that his company is not seeking to be absolved from the requirement that it provide community housing.
The three changes Pearson is asking the city to consider include:
■ Allowing employers or businesses to purchase the units to be able to rent them to employees. He suggests that an employment- and occupancy-based deed restriction would apply.
■ Allow anyone to purchase the condos as long as the unit is occupied on a full-time basis by the purchaser. In that case, an occupancy-based deed restriction would be in force.
■ Supplement the existing deed-restriction options with an appraisal-based deed restriction that would allow the owners to realize greater growth in equity once they became vested.
Equity over time
The options presented to City Council by Engelken are similar to Pearson’s suggestions, but include more detail.
One option she described would change the way a developer’s affordable housing obligations are calculated from a specific number of units to total square feet. That would allow them to adapt the size of units to meet current demand among homebuyers, for example.
Engelken’s twist on allowing employers to purchase affordable units for rental to their employees would require the business owners to certify that their employees meet AMI requirements. At any point of sale, the owners would be required to market them under the limits of the original deed restriction.
Engelken also offered City Council the option of an appraisal-based deed restriction. She suggests it might allow a certain percentage equity gain based on the difference between the appraisal at the point of acquisition and the appraisal at a point of future sale.
“Several organizations and communities nationally have set that percentage equity gain based upon the numbers of years in the unit, i.e. a greater equity gain for households residing in a unit for 10 years versus two years,” Engelken wrote.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
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Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
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By Tom Ross (Contact)- Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Despite appearances, developers confirm the First Tracks deed-restricted housing project is on schedule to be completed sooner than nearby Trailhead Lodge. Excavation work currently is under way and a spokesman for Resort Ventures West said the exterior of the building will be taking shape by late summer. Photo by Tom Ross
Steamboat Springs — The developers of First Tracks deed-restricted affordable housing say they may not be able to sell the condominiums to the target market without the city’s cooperation in changes to the project’s approved housing plan.
“We’ve done everything we could,” Brent Pearson said. “It’s just been difficult to get people to buy into it based on the facts of the deed restrictions.”
Pearson is vice president of Resort Ventures West, developers of the larger Wildhorse Meadows project adjacent to Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.’s Meadows parking lot. The first phase of First Tracks is under construction and being built to satisfy the city’s affordable housing requirements for Trailhead Lodge within Wildhorse Meadows, as well as for an unrelated project, One Steamboat Place, at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area gondola.
Nancy Engelken, the city’s community housing coordinator, already has presented the Steamboat Springs City Council with several options for amending the project’s Community Housing Plan, to make the deed-restricted units more attractive to buyers. City Council might wait to take action until the results of a demand analysis study of the city’s affordable needs are released later in the summer.
Pearson said his company’s perception is that many potential buyers continue to be tempted by market-rate housing and are resistant to accepting the limited appreciation of a deed-restricted home.
“From our standpoint, the difficulty is due to the size of the gap” between the price of market-rate and open-market housing, Pearson said. “It’s not as large as originally perceived. The inability to find these buyers is due to the deed restrictions. People who could stretch to market-rate housing tend to veer off.”
The deed restrictions cap annual appreciation of the condominiums for resale purposes at 3 percent.
Resort Ventures West Development Manager Mariana Ishida said pricing of the deed-restricted units is complex and varies with household size and percentage of the area median income for those different households.
However, for purposes of comparison, she said, she uses an 1,140-square foot, two-bedroom unit, where she assumes three people will live.
At 80 percent AMI for a household of three — $51,475 — the two-bedroom units are priced at $213,000. For a similar-sized household making 100 percent of the AMI, or $64,350, the price is $266,000. At 120 percent AMI, or $77,200, the price jumps to $319,000.
Size versus market
And here’s the rub. A family of three earning $77,200 could shop for a 920-square-foot Whistler Village townhome with a remodeled kitchen and hardwood living room floor currently listed at $322,000.
That home is more than 200 square feet smaller, but for $3,000 the buyers would know they could participate fully in equity growth in Steamboat’s resort market.
There are other similarly priced condos for sale on the Steamboat Springs Multiple Listing Service.
Resort Ventures West needs buyers at 120 percent to achieve its average for the entire project of 100 percent AMI, but most of the buyers who are intent on buying at First Tracks make less money.
“We’ve been working since January to collect the names of interested buyers, educate them and work toward commitments,” Ishida said. “But the average is coming out to be 80 percent” AMI.
In a memo to City Council, Ishida and Pearson said they initially collected the names of 300 interested households. Of those, 65 percent were below 80 percent AMI, 25 percent were between 80 and 120 percent of AMI and 10 percent were above 120 percent.
When Resort Ventures West moved to the education phase, only half of the 300 households remained in the mix. And when they began the nitty-gritty work of qualifying prospective buyers for deed-restricted housing, only 50 were in the hunt. The developers wound up with 36 qualified buyers for the 47 condominium homes and their certified average medium incomes in aggregate were 80 percent.
Resort Ventures West has formally asked City Council to consider amending its approved Community Housing Plan in an effort to hit the 100 percent average AMI target. Pearson stressed that his company is not seeking to be absolved from the requirement that it provide community housing.
The three changes Pearson is asking the city to consider include:
■ Allowing employers or businesses to purchase the units to be able to rent them to employees. He suggests that an employment- and occupancy-based deed restriction would apply.
■ Allow anyone to purchase the condos as long as the unit is occupied on a full-time basis by the purchaser. In that case, an occupancy-based deed restriction would be in force.
■ Supplement the existing deed-restriction options with an appraisal-based deed restriction that would allow the owners to realize greater growth in equity once they became vested.
Equity over time
The options presented to City Council by Engelken are similar to Pearson’s suggestions, but include more detail.
One option she described would change the way a developer’s affordable housing obligations are calculated from a specific number of units to total square feet. That would allow them to adapt the size of units to meet current demand among homebuyers, for example.
Engelken’s twist on allowing employers to purchase affordable units for rental to their employees would require the business owners to certify that their employees meet AMI requirements. At any point of sale, the owners would be required to market them under the limits of the original deed restriction.
Engelken also offered City Council the option of an appraisal-based deed restriction. She suggests it might allow a certain percentage equity gain based on the difference between the appraisal at the point of acquisition and the appraisal at a point of future sale.
“Several organizations and communities nationally have set that percentage equity gain based upon the numbers of years in the unit, i.e. a greater equity gain for households residing in a unit for 10 years versus two years,” Engelken wrote.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Phippsburg, Colorado Celebrates 100 Years
Phippsburg celebrates 100 years
South Routt community established by Sam Perry as mining camp in 1908
By Melinda Dudley - Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Steamboat Springs — Elmer Mai became Clarice Reid’s neighbor when he moved to Phippsburg in 1946. Although Mai now lives on the Front Range, he temporarily became Reid’s neighbor again Saturday, joining her for lunch at Phippsburg’s Centennial Celebration.
“Once upon a time, we were young. Now we’re both hitting 92,” Mai said.
That age makes them only eight years younger than the town they call home.
The Historical Society of Oak Creek and Phippsburg chose 1908 as the birthday of the town. Although Phippsburg has never been incorporated, 1908 was the year Sam Perry established a mining camp there, building homes, boarding houses, a pool hall and a grocery store for his miners and their families.
Phippsburg residents and people from across South Routt County turned out for the centennial celebration Saturday, from newborns still in their strollers to the town’s old-timers, enjoying music and good company. People enjoyed lunch across the park — on the grass, in the events tents and perched on the merry-go-round, balancing their plates on their laps.
“It’s great to be back. All my old friends are here, and all the young people and their children,” Mai said.
Attendees also checked out Phippsburg Community Park’s newest attraction, a former Denver Rio Grande caboose donated to the Historical Society by the Union Pacific Railroad.
“All the kids want to climb on it,” local historian Mike Yurich said. “Even at my age, I can hardly resist.”
Local railroaders are going to restore the caboose inside and out to its former splendor, Yurich said. The Historical Society plans to “demodernize” the interior, which will include removing later additions including a shower, restoring the caboose’s original “train toilet” and installing an authentic stove from the period.
Kimberly Rossi was asked to design a special mail cancellation in honor of the centennial and was on hand Saturday, selling historic postcards and envelopes displaying her handiwork. The mail cancellation depicts a train steaming into Phippsburg, passing the Flat Tops.
“I came up with the design, and we got it made into a stamp,” Rossi said. “When I think of Phippsburg, that’s what I think of.”
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs, Phippsburg, Hayden, or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
South Routt community established by Sam Perry as mining camp in 1908
By Melinda Dudley - Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Steamboat Springs — Elmer Mai became Clarice Reid’s neighbor when he moved to Phippsburg in 1946. Although Mai now lives on the Front Range, he temporarily became Reid’s neighbor again Saturday, joining her for lunch at Phippsburg’s Centennial Celebration.
“Once upon a time, we were young. Now we’re both hitting 92,” Mai said.
That age makes them only eight years younger than the town they call home.
The Historical Society of Oak Creek and Phippsburg chose 1908 as the birthday of the town. Although Phippsburg has never been incorporated, 1908 was the year Sam Perry established a mining camp there, building homes, boarding houses, a pool hall and a grocery store for his miners and their families.
Phippsburg residents and people from across South Routt County turned out for the centennial celebration Saturday, from newborns still in their strollers to the town’s old-timers, enjoying music and good company. People enjoyed lunch across the park — on the grass, in the events tents and perched on the merry-go-round, balancing their plates on their laps.
“It’s great to be back. All my old friends are here, and all the young people and their children,” Mai said.
Attendees also checked out Phippsburg Community Park’s newest attraction, a former Denver Rio Grande caboose donated to the Historical Society by the Union Pacific Railroad.
“All the kids want to climb on it,” local historian Mike Yurich said. “Even at my age, I can hardly resist.”
Local railroaders are going to restore the caboose inside and out to its former splendor, Yurich said. The Historical Society plans to “demodernize” the interior, which will include removing later additions including a shower, restoring the caboose’s original “train toilet” and installing an authentic stove from the period.
Kimberly Rossi was asked to design a special mail cancellation in honor of the centennial and was on hand Saturday, selling historic postcards and envelopes displaying her handiwork. The mail cancellation depicts a train steaming into Phippsburg, passing the Flat Tops.
“I came up with the design, and we got it made into a stamp,” Rossi said. “When I think of Phippsburg, that’s what I think of.”
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs, Phippsburg, Hayden, or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Lake Village in Hayden - Summer 2008 Update
Lake Village inching onward
Developers met with town to discuss issues this week
By Blythe Terrell - Steamboat Pilot Reporter
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Steamboat Springs — The Lake Village subdivision in Hayden took a couple of steps forward this week, a consultant for the developer said.
“We met with the city, and we’ve gone over the list of requirements in order to establish preliminary acceptance of the utility lines, which is really the first step to being able to get everything turned back over to the sale of houses,” consultant Alison Strauss said.
Last month, the Hayden Town Board gave Mountain Adventure Property Investments until Aug. 8 to show progress on the uninhabited subdivisions. Pavement is crumpling around several compacted manholes, and the roads need a second lift to be level with the curbs.
Engineers have evaluated the site, Strauss said, and developers expect a report next week on what needs to be done.
Five model homes and a playground sit empty in the neighborhood in southern Hayden. The development is the first part of a larger project called Villages at Hayden.
Lake Village has faced stumbling blocks since August. Disagreements have led to problems among the four partners of Mountain Adventure Property Investments. Grassy Creek Holding; 4-S Development; Oregon-based Robinson and Sons; and Oasis Development, an Oklahoma subsidiary of FSB Bancorp., make up the group. Grassy Creek and 4-S are locally owned and control 61 percent of the company’s stock.
They provided land, and Oasis was meant to provide funding, said Roger Johnson, a manager for Mountain Adventure Property Investments and Grassy Creek Holding.
Robinson Construction out of Oregon, which is affiliated with Robinson and Sons, was the contractor for the subdivision. 4-S has said that Robinson is responsible for the infrastructure issues, and Robinson suggested that its subcontractors were at fault.
Neither Robinson and Sons nor Robinson Construction is connected with RN Robinson & Son Inc., an excavating contractor that has been in Hayden since the mid-1940s.
"I don't know them, there's no relation and we've never been affiliated," said Bob Robinson, owner of RN Robinson & Son. He said his company also has not been affiliated with 4-S Development or Grassy Creek Holding. RN Robinson did not do any of the subcontracting work at the Lake Village site, Robinson said.
Robinson Construction filed $2.3 million in liens against Mountain Adventure in August, alleging that the partnership had not paid for work.
“4-S does not owe Robinson Construction any money,” 4-S owner Ron Sills said. His company has provided documents to Hayden indicating that 4-S paid Robinson more than $4.9 million for work, Strauss said. That’s more than Robinson was owed, the documents state.
After the liens, Mountain Adventure Property Investments and 4-S Development filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Mountain Adventure’s case is on hold, however, while the partners try to resolve the issues through mediation. The parties plan to enter talks next month.
“This has always been basically a partnership issue,” Johnson said. “Everything’s been put in abeyance essentially until July 14, and there’s a mediation to try and get this resolved and get the legal junk out of the way.”
The bankruptcy documents hint at the friction.
Bob Grissom is chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Altus Ventures, another subsidiary of FSB Bancorp. That group is connected with First State Bank of Altus, in Altus, Okla. 4-S Development has an account with the bank, which it used to pay bills for Lake Village.
Grissom also was the chief financial officer of Mountain Adventure Property Investments. The bankruptcy papers said he ended his relationship with the corporation in August. Altus Executive Vice President Don Anderson’s relationship with Mountain Adventure ended the same month, and project manager Kirk Moisan of Robinson and Sons broke from the partnership in November.
Neither Grissom nor Moisan was available Friday afternoon. Anderson declined to comment.
In a Feb. 7 document, 4-S stated that it had “not been able to gain possession of most of its books and records prior to August, 2007.” It attributed that to a change in management, adding that the statements could contain inaccuracies because 4-S lacks those records.
In another twist, First State Bank of Altus has filed a motion to foreclose on other Grassy Creek Holding property.
“It’s all part of the same conflict,” Johnson said. “Essentially, what’s happened is that when there was a bit of a falling out in August of ’07 … what happened were liens were filed, notes were called, things like that. It was not necessarily all right then, but it was all part of that. It’s all a partnership dispute.”
Johnson said he was confident that the mediation would resolve the problems.
Last month, when the Hayden Town Board gave the developers an extension, the town expressed concern that the bankruptcy issues would hamper home sales and infrastructure repairs at Lake Village.
“We do not expect the bankruptcy to stop us from being able to take care of the repairs,” Strauss said. “The rest of the improvements and that stuff, it will be affected by the bankruptcy. Taking care of the repairs and city approval is not going to be hampered.”
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs, Hayden, or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Developers met with town to discuss issues this week
By Blythe Terrell - Steamboat Pilot Reporter
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Steamboat Springs — The Lake Village subdivision in Hayden took a couple of steps forward this week, a consultant for the developer said.
“We met with the city, and we’ve gone over the list of requirements in order to establish preliminary acceptance of the utility lines, which is really the first step to being able to get everything turned back over to the sale of houses,” consultant Alison Strauss said.
Last month, the Hayden Town Board gave Mountain Adventure Property Investments until Aug. 8 to show progress on the uninhabited subdivisions. Pavement is crumpling around several compacted manholes, and the roads need a second lift to be level with the curbs.
Engineers have evaluated the site, Strauss said, and developers expect a report next week on what needs to be done.
Five model homes and a playground sit empty in the neighborhood in southern Hayden. The development is the first part of a larger project called Villages at Hayden.
Lake Village has faced stumbling blocks since August. Disagreements have led to problems among the four partners of Mountain Adventure Property Investments. Grassy Creek Holding; 4-S Development; Oregon-based Robinson and Sons; and Oasis Development, an Oklahoma subsidiary of FSB Bancorp., make up the group. Grassy Creek and 4-S are locally owned and control 61 percent of the company’s stock.
They provided land, and Oasis was meant to provide funding, said Roger Johnson, a manager for Mountain Adventure Property Investments and Grassy Creek Holding.
Robinson Construction out of Oregon, which is affiliated with Robinson and Sons, was the contractor for the subdivision. 4-S has said that Robinson is responsible for the infrastructure issues, and Robinson suggested that its subcontractors were at fault.
Neither Robinson and Sons nor Robinson Construction is connected with RN Robinson & Son Inc., an excavating contractor that has been in Hayden since the mid-1940s.
"I don't know them, there's no relation and we've never been affiliated," said Bob Robinson, owner of RN Robinson & Son. He said his company also has not been affiliated with 4-S Development or Grassy Creek Holding. RN Robinson did not do any of the subcontracting work at the Lake Village site, Robinson said.
Robinson Construction filed $2.3 million in liens against Mountain Adventure in August, alleging that the partnership had not paid for work.
“4-S does not owe Robinson Construction any money,” 4-S owner Ron Sills said. His company has provided documents to Hayden indicating that 4-S paid Robinson more than $4.9 million for work, Strauss said. That’s more than Robinson was owed, the documents state.
After the liens, Mountain Adventure Property Investments and 4-S Development filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Mountain Adventure’s case is on hold, however, while the partners try to resolve the issues through mediation. The parties plan to enter talks next month.
“This has always been basically a partnership issue,” Johnson said. “Everything’s been put in abeyance essentially until July 14, and there’s a mediation to try and get this resolved and get the legal junk out of the way.”
The bankruptcy documents hint at the friction.
Bob Grissom is chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Altus Ventures, another subsidiary of FSB Bancorp. That group is connected with First State Bank of Altus, in Altus, Okla. 4-S Development has an account with the bank, which it used to pay bills for Lake Village.
Grissom also was the chief financial officer of Mountain Adventure Property Investments. The bankruptcy papers said he ended his relationship with the corporation in August. Altus Executive Vice President Don Anderson’s relationship with Mountain Adventure ended the same month, and project manager Kirk Moisan of Robinson and Sons broke from the partnership in November.
Neither Grissom nor Moisan was available Friday afternoon. Anderson declined to comment.
In a Feb. 7 document, 4-S stated that it had “not been able to gain possession of most of its books and records prior to August, 2007.” It attributed that to a change in management, adding that the statements could contain inaccuracies because 4-S lacks those records.
In another twist, First State Bank of Altus has filed a motion to foreclose on other Grassy Creek Holding property.
“It’s all part of the same conflict,” Johnson said. “Essentially, what’s happened is that when there was a bit of a falling out in August of ’07 … what happened were liens were filed, notes were called, things like that. It was not necessarily all right then, but it was all part of that. It’s all a partnership dispute.”
Johnson said he was confident that the mediation would resolve the problems.
Last month, when the Hayden Town Board gave the developers an extension, the town expressed concern that the bankruptcy issues would hamper home sales and infrastructure repairs at Lake Village.
“We do not expect the bankruptcy to stop us from being able to take care of the repairs,” Strauss said. “The rest of the improvements and that stuff, it will be affected by the bankruptcy. Taking care of the repairs and city approval is not going to be hampered.”
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs, Hayden, or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Lincoln Avenue - Fall 2009 Paving
Highway 40/Lincoln Avenue Reconstruction - Fall, 2009
For the past several years we have known that Lincoln Avenue was on the list of CDOT maintenance projects. Originally the project was to be a mill-and-fill project which would chew up the asphalt and replace it with more asphalt. The project was supposed to have taken place in 2007, but, because of drainage issues, the planning of a streetscape project in downtown and budgeting constraints with CDOT, the project was rescheduled to 2009. The wait has allowed Steamboat to plan and incorporate changes to the curbs and corners, putting fiber-optics in the roadbed to be able to time the traffic lights and making changes to the bus stops.
The scope of work has now changed from a mill-and-fill project to a total reconstruction of the roadway. The new roadway will be concrete instead of asphalt. Concrete lasts closer to 30 years while asphalt has to be replaced every 7-10 years, saving us the pain of 3 repaving projects instead of just one. Work will probably be done in two block sections on one side of the road until that whole side of the road is complete before they turn around and do the other side of the road. Thankfully the work will not begin until the Fall after the Summer tourist season is over. The crews will work until weather prohibits it, then restart in the Spring.
It is still to be determined whether the work will take place during the day or at night. There are plusses and minuses to each scenerio. If the work is done at night, it will be less disruptive to traffic and can be completed faster. On the down side, there would be noise of construction all night (which could be bad for the motels in downtown as well as any residents in the area) and bright flood lights for many months, among other things. This might be the time to weigh in on what you think would be the best plan. These decisions must be made very soon because CDOT and the City are putting numbers to the construction.
End Article:
Article Source: Mainstreet Steamboat Springs July 2008 E-Newsletter
For the past several years we have known that Lincoln Avenue was on the list of CDOT maintenance projects. Originally the project was to be a mill-and-fill project which would chew up the asphalt and replace it with more asphalt. The project was supposed to have taken place in 2007, but, because of drainage issues, the planning of a streetscape project in downtown and budgeting constraints with CDOT, the project was rescheduled to 2009. The wait has allowed Steamboat to plan and incorporate changes to the curbs and corners, putting fiber-optics in the roadbed to be able to time the traffic lights and making changes to the bus stops.
The scope of work has now changed from a mill-and-fill project to a total reconstruction of the roadway. The new roadway will be concrete instead of asphalt. Concrete lasts closer to 30 years while asphalt has to be replaced every 7-10 years, saving us the pain of 3 repaving projects instead of just one. Work will probably be done in two block sections on one side of the road until that whole side of the road is complete before they turn around and do the other side of the road. Thankfully the work will not begin until the Fall after the Summer tourist season is over. The crews will work until weather prohibits it, then restart in the Spring.
It is still to be determined whether the work will take place during the day or at night. There are plusses and minuses to each scenerio. If the work is done at night, it will be less disruptive to traffic and can be completed faster. On the down side, there would be noise of construction all night (which could be bad for the motels in downtown as well as any residents in the area) and bright flood lights for many months, among other things. This might be the time to weigh in on what you think would be the best plan. These decisions must be made very soon because CDOT and the City are putting numbers to the construction.
End Article:
Article Source: Mainstreet Steamboat Springs July 2008 E-Newsletter
Mainstreet Steamboat Springs - Newsletter July 2008
What's Up Downtown?
MainStreet Steamboat Springs e-Newsletter
July 2008
In This Issue
First Friday Art Walks
Highway 40 Reconstruction
"Get People Downtown"
Discovery Map discount
Welcome New Businesses to Downtown!
Off the Beaten Path in its new location on 9th Street. Welscome back! You were missed.
Triple 555 Builders, Homestagers, and Travel Agency - on 9th Street next to Off the Beaten Path - affordable furniture for Steamboat
Blossom - next to the movie theater on Lincoln - Imports from Nepal, India and Tibet
Wild Horse Gallery - a second location for this very popular mountain art gallery, located on the corner of 8th and Lincoln.
The Boathouse Pub -on Yampa Street, between 6th and 7th Streets, opening July 4th weekend.
All that Jazz - in its new location in the Alpenglow at 6th and Lincoln
Sleeping Giant Gallery - in its new location in the Alpenglow at 6th and Lincoln.
Business of the Month
The Homesteader has added a fun new twist to their marketing efforts. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings Chef Dave Nelson is offering cooking classes in the new kitchen at the back of the store. This beautiful kitchen is the perfect setting to showcase products within the store as well as offering an entertaining evening activity to a limit of 12 participants. This creative means of marketing is a perfect example of thinking outside the box when it comes to attracting customers. Our hats are off to Steve and Daniella Kennedy and their staff for going the extra mile to stand above the crowd. Classes have been sold out, showing the popularity of giving the customer what they want.
Become a Member
Not a member of MainStreet Steamboat Springs? Now is the time to add your support to the organization dedicated to improving the the heart of our community, downtown.
For a mere $195 a year (or $395 for a business with more than 4 full-time employee equivalents), you get a staff person and teams of volunteers working to make conditions favorable for your success. As a group, we can make much more progress and have a bigger voice than you as an individual can have. For the price of a couple of ads in the paper, you get year-around support for your business, the downtown business district, and the heart of the community.
If you are interested in having a voice with MainStreet Steamboat Springs, call Tracy at 970-846-1800. Learn the benefits to your business and how you can be involved in making downtown Steamboat Springs the best it can be.
Notes from the Board of Directors:
Well, it looks like summer may have finally made an appearance. The brown spots on the mountain have finally touched and the water in the Yampa is receding. It was a long winter, indeed, but we made it through.
All of our downtown construction projects are out of the ground and taking shape. This is good news with the summer season upon us. Our customers and clients can see the future and feel the sense of anticipation rather than the "construction disruption" we experienced last summer.
As many of you know, MainStreet shelved the Business Improvement District (BID) election for this coming November after hearing time and time again the concern over dramatically increased property tax reassessments. We have met with City Council and presented a plan that could raise $200,000, enabling us to hire an events coordinator and administrative staff. City Council members seemed receptive, and they understand that this is an INVESTMENT, not an expense. You may have seen the June 11 editorial in the Today supporting our request. The Pilot Editorial Board understands the value of MainStreet to our local economy, and we are seeing both big challenges and big opportunities with the Base Area redevelopment and the Lincoln Avenue reconstruction.
Our Design Committee submitted a letter to the City Council supporting the most creative option for the reconstruction of Lincoln Avenue and we followed up with public comment on June 10. The chosen option will preserve parking on Lincoln Avenue, greatly enhance pedestrian safety and friendliness, and, with letters and phone calls from all of you, may preserve the Eighth Street light AND install a new light at Eleventh Street.
With this broadening support, the ball is in our court to demonstrate OUR commitment to MainStreet and its ability to help us grow our downtown. Please thank City Council members for their support and take a few moments to bolster their confidence in us. Please renew your membership and encourage your neighboring business owners to join as well. If we show our commitment to making downtown Steamboat Springs the number one place to visit and work, we think the City will respond with increased support through a willing and strong financial partnership.
Towny Anderson
President
First Friday Art Walk a success
On the first Friday of each month, hundreds of people hit the streets of downtown to visit the various galleries displaying original art in mixed media. This very popular event is growing monthly, raising the level of awareness of quality art available in our community, but also becoming a huge social event for the entire community. The artists are available to discuss their work and light refreshments are offered in many locations. These events take place from 5-8 pm.
At the most recent Art Walk, some of the galleries reported as many as 400-500 attendees, with smaller galleries reporting very impressive numbers as well. With this many people on the streets of downtown, it is an opportunity for restaurants and retail businesses to draw them in. The hardest thing to do is to get people out of their houses and downtown in the first place. Once they are out and right in front of your front door, it is a up to you to invite them in. Targeted advertising encouraging people to come down for the Art Walk and a visit to your restaurant or business is a good plan.
MainStreet Steamboat is very supportive of the efforts of the galleries to raise the consciousness of art in the community to a new level. With the majority of the Art Walk venues being in Downtown, this activity is exactly the kind of special event that draws locals and guests alike to the district. It is not an event that requires a huge number of volunteers. The monthly event has enough momentum that people will just expect it to happen. The goal of the Art Walk is to sell art, but it has also become a huge community social event. As one of the gallery owners put it, "Art Walking has become a verb".
Art, in all its forms, has proven to be an economic engine in many communities across the nation. Whether the art is visual art, theater, music or any of the other forms, creative expression is rapidly growing and gaining audiences. Art and the appreciation of art crosses all socio-economic strata. If you have not participated in an Art Walk to date, you might be surprised at the different kinds of art being presented. Currently the Steamboat Art Museum is featuring cartoon art in the front gallery and an amazing display of black-light art created by Don Woodsmith in the back gallery. K. Saari Gallery is a contemporary gallery, while the Artists' Gallery of Steamboat features the work of the 23 or so artist/owners of the gallery with three artists featured in a new opening every month. On average there are about 15 galleries or alternative art spaces involved in the Art Walk every month.
Highway 40/Lincoln Avenue Reconstruction - Fall, 2009
For the past several years we have known that Lincoln Avenue was on the list of CDOT maintenance projects. Originally the project was to be a mill-and-fill project which would chew up the asphalt and replace it with more asphalt. The project was supposed to have taken place in 2007, but, because of drainage issues, the planning of a streetscape project in downtown and budgeting constraints with CDOT, the project was rescheduled to 2009. The wait has allowed Steamboat to plan and incorporate changes to the curbs and corners, putting fiber-optics in the roadbed to be able to time the traffic lights and making changes to the bus stops.
The scope of work has now changed from a mill-and-fill project to a total reconstruction of the roadway. The new roadway will be concrete instead of asphalt. Concrete lasts closer to 30 years while asphalt has to be replaced every 7-10 years, saving us the pain of 3 repaving projects instead of just one. Work will probably be done in two block sections on one side of the road until that whole side of the road is complete before they turn around and do the other side of the road. Thankfully the work will not begin until the Fall after the Summer tourist season is over. The crews will work until weather prohibits it, then restart in the Spring.
It is still to be determined whether the work will take place during the day or at night. There are plusses and minuses to each scenerio. If the work is done at night, it will be less disruptive to traffic and can be completed faster. On the down side, there would be noise of construction all night (which could be bad for the motels in downtown as well as any residents in the area) and bright flood lights for many months, among other things. This might be the time to weigh in on what you think would be the best plan. These decisions must be made very soon because CDOT and the City are putting numbers to the construction.
MainStreet Steamboat Springs e-Newsletter
July 2008
In This Issue
First Friday Art Walks
Highway 40 Reconstruction
"Get People Downtown"
Discovery Map discount
Welcome New Businesses to Downtown!
Off the Beaten Path in its new location on 9th Street. Welscome back! You were missed.
Triple 555 Builders, Homestagers, and Travel Agency - on 9th Street next to Off the Beaten Path - affordable furniture for Steamboat
Blossom - next to the movie theater on Lincoln - Imports from Nepal, India and Tibet
Wild Horse Gallery - a second location for this very popular mountain art gallery, located on the corner of 8th and Lincoln.
The Boathouse Pub -on Yampa Street, between 6th and 7th Streets, opening July 4th weekend.
All that Jazz - in its new location in the Alpenglow at 6th and Lincoln
Sleeping Giant Gallery - in its new location in the Alpenglow at 6th and Lincoln.
Business of the Month
The Homesteader has added a fun new twist to their marketing efforts. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings Chef Dave Nelson is offering cooking classes in the new kitchen at the back of the store. This beautiful kitchen is the perfect setting to showcase products within the store as well as offering an entertaining evening activity to a limit of 12 participants. This creative means of marketing is a perfect example of thinking outside the box when it comes to attracting customers. Our hats are off to Steve and Daniella Kennedy and their staff for going the extra mile to stand above the crowd. Classes have been sold out, showing the popularity of giving the customer what they want.
Become a Member
Not a member of MainStreet Steamboat Springs? Now is the time to add your support to the organization dedicated to improving the the heart of our community, downtown.
For a mere $195 a year (or $395 for a business with more than 4 full-time employee equivalents), you get a staff person and teams of volunteers working to make conditions favorable for your success. As a group, we can make much more progress and have a bigger voice than you as an individual can have. For the price of a couple of ads in the paper, you get year-around support for your business, the downtown business district, and the heart of the community.
If you are interested in having a voice with MainStreet Steamboat Springs, call Tracy at 970-846-1800. Learn the benefits to your business and how you can be involved in making downtown Steamboat Springs the best it can be.
Notes from the Board of Directors:
Well, it looks like summer may have finally made an appearance. The brown spots on the mountain have finally touched and the water in the Yampa is receding. It was a long winter, indeed, but we made it through.
All of our downtown construction projects are out of the ground and taking shape. This is good news with the summer season upon us. Our customers and clients can see the future and feel the sense of anticipation rather than the "construction disruption" we experienced last summer.
As many of you know, MainStreet shelved the Business Improvement District (BID) election for this coming November after hearing time and time again the concern over dramatically increased property tax reassessments. We have met with City Council and presented a plan that could raise $200,000, enabling us to hire an events coordinator and administrative staff. City Council members seemed receptive, and they understand that this is an INVESTMENT, not an expense. You may have seen the June 11 editorial in the Today supporting our request. The Pilot Editorial Board understands the value of MainStreet to our local economy, and we are seeing both big challenges and big opportunities with the Base Area redevelopment and the Lincoln Avenue reconstruction.
Our Design Committee submitted a letter to the City Council supporting the most creative option for the reconstruction of Lincoln Avenue and we followed up with public comment on June 10. The chosen option will preserve parking on Lincoln Avenue, greatly enhance pedestrian safety and friendliness, and, with letters and phone calls from all of you, may preserve the Eighth Street light AND install a new light at Eleventh Street.
With this broadening support, the ball is in our court to demonstrate OUR commitment to MainStreet and its ability to help us grow our downtown. Please thank City Council members for their support and take a few moments to bolster their confidence in us. Please renew your membership and encourage your neighboring business owners to join as well. If we show our commitment to making downtown Steamboat Springs the number one place to visit and work, we think the City will respond with increased support through a willing and strong financial partnership.
Towny Anderson
President
First Friday Art Walk a success
On the first Friday of each month, hundreds of people hit the streets of downtown to visit the various galleries displaying original art in mixed media. This very popular event is growing monthly, raising the level of awareness of quality art available in our community, but also becoming a huge social event for the entire community. The artists are available to discuss their work and light refreshments are offered in many locations. These events take place from 5-8 pm.
At the most recent Art Walk, some of the galleries reported as many as 400-500 attendees, with smaller galleries reporting very impressive numbers as well. With this many people on the streets of downtown, it is an opportunity for restaurants and retail businesses to draw them in. The hardest thing to do is to get people out of their houses and downtown in the first place. Once they are out and right in front of your front door, it is a up to you to invite them in. Targeted advertising encouraging people to come down for the Art Walk and a visit to your restaurant or business is a good plan.
MainStreet Steamboat is very supportive of the efforts of the galleries to raise the consciousness of art in the community to a new level. With the majority of the Art Walk venues being in Downtown, this activity is exactly the kind of special event that draws locals and guests alike to the district. It is not an event that requires a huge number of volunteers. The monthly event has enough momentum that people will just expect it to happen. The goal of the Art Walk is to sell art, but it has also become a huge community social event. As one of the gallery owners put it, "Art Walking has become a verb".
Art, in all its forms, has proven to be an economic engine in many communities across the nation. Whether the art is visual art, theater, music or any of the other forms, creative expression is rapidly growing and gaining audiences. Art and the appreciation of art crosses all socio-economic strata. If you have not participated in an Art Walk to date, you might be surprised at the different kinds of art being presented. Currently the Steamboat Art Museum is featuring cartoon art in the front gallery and an amazing display of black-light art created by Don Woodsmith in the back gallery. K. Saari Gallery is a contemporary gallery, while the Artists' Gallery of Steamboat features the work of the 23 or so artist/owners of the gallery with three artists featured in a new opening every month. On average there are about 15 galleries or alternative art spaces involved in the Art Walk every month.
Highway 40/Lincoln Avenue Reconstruction - Fall, 2009
For the past several years we have known that Lincoln Avenue was on the list of CDOT maintenance projects. Originally the project was to be a mill-and-fill project which would chew up the asphalt and replace it with more asphalt. The project was supposed to have taken place in 2007, but, because of drainage issues, the planning of a streetscape project in downtown and budgeting constraints with CDOT, the project was rescheduled to 2009. The wait has allowed Steamboat to plan and incorporate changes to the curbs and corners, putting fiber-optics in the roadbed to be able to time the traffic lights and making changes to the bus stops.
The scope of work has now changed from a mill-and-fill project to a total reconstruction of the roadway. The new roadway will be concrete instead of asphalt. Concrete lasts closer to 30 years while asphalt has to be replaced every 7-10 years, saving us the pain of 3 repaving projects instead of just one. Work will probably be done in two block sections on one side of the road until that whole side of the road is complete before they turn around and do the other side of the road. Thankfully the work will not begin until the Fall after the Summer tourist season is over. The crews will work until weather prohibits it, then restart in the Spring.
It is still to be determined whether the work will take place during the day or at night. There are plusses and minuses to each scenerio. If the work is done at night, it will be less disruptive to traffic and can be completed faster. On the down side, there would be noise of construction all night (which could be bad for the motels in downtown as well as any residents in the area) and bright flood lights for many months, among other things. This might be the time to weigh in on what you think would be the best plan. These decisions must be made very soon because CDOT and the City are putting numbers to the construction.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Steamboat 700 - Annexation Vote?
Developers want no 700 vote
Annexation planners say application will meet public needs
By Kristi Mohrbacher - Steambaot Pilot & Today
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Steamboat Springs — Supporters of Steamboat 700 said Friday that plans for their proposed 700-acre annexation will make a public vote unnecessary.
“We think this will be a quality application consistent with what the community wants so we won’t have enough opposition to support a need for an election,” Bob Weiss, a land-use attorney representing Steamboat 700, said of final plans for the development, which proposes about 2,000 homes and commercial space on a site west of Steamboat Springs.
A public annexation vote occurred May 20 in Minturn, where residents resoundingly approved the annexation of a 5,300-acre, resort-style project on Battle Mountain. More than 300 voters approved Florida developer Bobby Ginn’s private ski and golf resort with just 34 opposing it, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
New trends and policies in annexation were the topics of discussion Friday during an attorney’s workshop at the Colorado Municipal League’s annual conference at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel. Jerry Dahl, a consultant attorney hired by the city of Steamboat Springs during Steamboat 700 negotiations, led the workshop.
Whether the Steamboat 700 annexation should come to a public vote has been a contentious issue for months. Steamboat 700 Project Manager Danny Mulcahy said earlier this year that a referendum petition, needed before such a vote, would add at least a year to the process and cost additional money.
If the city approves the annexation’s plan through an ordinance, opposing parties would have 60 days to challenge the ordinance with a referendum petition.
For a referendum petition to happen, the opposing side has 30 days after its challenge to collect the required number of signatures. City Attorney Tony Lettunich and Weiss were not sure Friday how many signatures would be required. If enough signatures were collected, the decision to annex would go to vote — a process that played out in Minturn.
Lettunich said in Minturn’s annexation vote, a small group of voters decided on a project that will approach $200 million in total related expenses.
“These numbers for the millions of dollars was astonishing,” Lettunich said.
Steamboat 700 LLC purchased 540 acres just west of Steamboat Springs for $24.6 million in March 2007. The developers have 160 adjoining acres under contract.
Steamboat 700 plans to have its pre-annexation agreement finalized and approved by the city in the next 30 to 60 days, Lettunich said.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Annexation planners say application will meet public needs
By Kristi Mohrbacher - Steambaot Pilot & Today
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Steamboat Springs — Supporters of Steamboat 700 said Friday that plans for their proposed 700-acre annexation will make a public vote unnecessary.
“We think this will be a quality application consistent with what the community wants so we won’t have enough opposition to support a need for an election,” Bob Weiss, a land-use attorney representing Steamboat 700, said of final plans for the development, which proposes about 2,000 homes and commercial space on a site west of Steamboat Springs.
A public annexation vote occurred May 20 in Minturn, where residents resoundingly approved the annexation of a 5,300-acre, resort-style project on Battle Mountain. More than 300 voters approved Florida developer Bobby Ginn’s private ski and golf resort with just 34 opposing it, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
New trends and policies in annexation were the topics of discussion Friday during an attorney’s workshop at the Colorado Municipal League’s annual conference at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel. Jerry Dahl, a consultant attorney hired by the city of Steamboat Springs during Steamboat 700 negotiations, led the workshop.
Whether the Steamboat 700 annexation should come to a public vote has been a contentious issue for months. Steamboat 700 Project Manager Danny Mulcahy said earlier this year that a referendum petition, needed before such a vote, would add at least a year to the process and cost additional money.
If the city approves the annexation’s plan through an ordinance, opposing parties would have 60 days to challenge the ordinance with a referendum petition.
For a referendum petition to happen, the opposing side has 30 days after its challenge to collect the required number of signatures. City Attorney Tony Lettunich and Weiss were not sure Friday how many signatures would be required. If enough signatures were collected, the decision to annex would go to vote — a process that played out in Minturn.
Lettunich said in Minturn’s annexation vote, a small group of voters decided on a project that will approach $200 million in total related expenses.
“These numbers for the millions of dollars was astonishing,” Lettunich said.
Steamboat 700 LLC purchased 540 acres just west of Steamboat Springs for $24.6 million in March 2007. The developers have 160 adjoining acres under contract.
Steamboat 700 plans to have its pre-annexation agreement finalized and approved by the city in the next 30 to 60 days, Lettunich said.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
700 Negotiations Continue
700 negotiations continue
By Kristi Mohrbacher - Steamboat Pilot & TODAY Newspaper
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Steamboat 700 by the numbers
Size: 700 acres
Buildout: 10 to 25 years
Residential units: 1,827 to 2,243
High-density residential units (condos, townhouses, apartments): 45 percent
Small, single-family lots (under 8,000 square feet) or duplexes: 36 percent
Square footage of commercial/nonresidential uses: 272,000 to 331,000
Affordable housing target: 80 percent to 150 percent AMI (area median income)
Permanently deed-restricted housing provided by developer: 20 percent (367 to 448 units)
Topography: Most slopes 5 percent to 15 percent, some 30 percent or more on bluffs and hillsides
“Village centers:” three to four stories
Open space: 221 acres (32 percent)
Trails: 10+ miles
Infrastructure cost: $103 million
Additional off-site automobile trips a day generated: 14,000
— Source: Steamboat 700 Initial Submittal, November 2007
Steamboat Springs — The city and Steamboat 700 developers agreed Tuesday night to allow the annexation process to move forward without a completed environmental assessment — a study that could take 18 months or longer to complete.
The Steamboat Springs City Council and Steamboat 700 developers continued the lengthy pre-annexation negotiating process during the council’s Tuesday night meeting.
The pre-annexation agreement is required before a petition for annexation will be reviewed for Steamboat 700, a proposed development of about 2,000 units west of Steamboat Springs. As proposed, the 700-acre parcel needs to be annexed into city limits before building can begin. The pre-annexation agreement is meant to allow the sides to discuss anticipated issues before the formal process begins.
The council initially required an environmental assessment — at the developer’s expense — to be completed before Steamboat 700 could be considered for annexation. It’s anticipated that the assessment will identify needed U.S. Highway 40 improvements and the percentage of improvements Steamboat 700 should be responsible for funding.
With a potential 18 month or longer wait until the assessment is completed, Steamboat 700 land-use attorney Bob Weiss requested that his clients be able to proceed with the annexation process.
“We don’t want to be held hostage to the” environmental assessment, Weiss said.
Weiss also said the developers are ready to write a check for the estimated amount they will be responsible for paying when the assessment is complete. Weiss also said there should be a plan for reimbursement should the actual amount be less or if it is determined that other developers will benefit from the assessment or highway improvements and need to chip in as well.
Pending the creation of a formula that states the percentage of the cost of improvements the city will be responsible for and the percentage Steamboat 700 will be responsible for, the city agreed that submittal for annexation is not dependent on the completion of the assessment.
Councilwoman Cari Hermacinski voiced concern that the city would have trouble paying for its share of necessary improvements identified by the assessment and requested that Steamboat 700 propose ideas for funding, such as large-format retail within the development.
City Council President Loui Antonucci acknowledged that while “it’s important to get some affordable housing built soon,” there is trepidation about the city’s financial obligation to U.S. 40 improvements.
“The city’s obligation shouldn’t change depending on whether it’s a million dollars or a hundred million dollars,” Steamboat 700 Project Manager Danny Mulcahy said. “The road’s necessary today, whether I build (the development) or not.”
The negotiation teams tentatively plan to meet next week to continue the discussion. Steamboat 700 anticipates completion of the annexation process by June 2009.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
By Kristi Mohrbacher - Steamboat Pilot & TODAY Newspaper
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Steamboat 700 by the numbers
Size: 700 acres
Buildout: 10 to 25 years
Residential units: 1,827 to 2,243
High-density residential units (condos, townhouses, apartments): 45 percent
Small, single-family lots (under 8,000 square feet) or duplexes: 36 percent
Square footage of commercial/nonresidential uses: 272,000 to 331,000
Affordable housing target: 80 percent to 150 percent AMI (area median income)
Permanently deed-restricted housing provided by developer: 20 percent (367 to 448 units)
Topography: Most slopes 5 percent to 15 percent, some 30 percent or more on bluffs and hillsides
“Village centers:” three to four stories
Open space: 221 acres (32 percent)
Trails: 10+ miles
Infrastructure cost: $103 million
Additional off-site automobile trips a day generated: 14,000
— Source: Steamboat 700 Initial Submittal, November 2007
Steamboat Springs — The city and Steamboat 700 developers agreed Tuesday night to allow the annexation process to move forward without a completed environmental assessment — a study that could take 18 months or longer to complete.
The Steamboat Springs City Council and Steamboat 700 developers continued the lengthy pre-annexation negotiating process during the council’s Tuesday night meeting.
The pre-annexation agreement is required before a petition for annexation will be reviewed for Steamboat 700, a proposed development of about 2,000 units west of Steamboat Springs. As proposed, the 700-acre parcel needs to be annexed into city limits before building can begin. The pre-annexation agreement is meant to allow the sides to discuss anticipated issues before the formal process begins.
The council initially required an environmental assessment — at the developer’s expense — to be completed before Steamboat 700 could be considered for annexation. It’s anticipated that the assessment will identify needed U.S. Highway 40 improvements and the percentage of improvements Steamboat 700 should be responsible for funding.
With a potential 18 month or longer wait until the assessment is completed, Steamboat 700 land-use attorney Bob Weiss requested that his clients be able to proceed with the annexation process.
“We don’t want to be held hostage to the” environmental assessment, Weiss said.
Weiss also said the developers are ready to write a check for the estimated amount they will be responsible for paying when the assessment is complete. Weiss also said there should be a plan for reimbursement should the actual amount be less or if it is determined that other developers will benefit from the assessment or highway improvements and need to chip in as well.
Pending the creation of a formula that states the percentage of the cost of improvements the city will be responsible for and the percentage Steamboat 700 will be responsible for, the city agreed that submittal for annexation is not dependent on the completion of the assessment.
Councilwoman Cari Hermacinski voiced concern that the city would have trouble paying for its share of necessary improvements identified by the assessment and requested that Steamboat 700 propose ideas for funding, such as large-format retail within the development.
City Council President Loui Antonucci acknowledged that while “it’s important to get some affordable housing built soon,” there is trepidation about the city’s financial obligation to U.S. 40 improvements.
“The city’s obligation shouldn’t change depending on whether it’s a million dollars or a hundred million dollars,” Steamboat 700 Project Manager Danny Mulcahy said. “The road’s necessary today, whether I build (the development) or not.”
The negotiation teams tentatively plan to meet next week to continue the discussion. Steamboat 700 anticipates completion of the annexation process by June 2009.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Monday, June 16, 2008
Rocky Peak Project on Tamarack
Rocky Peak poised to break ground this week
By Tom Ross (Contact)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Steamboat Springs — When Peter and Kim Kreissig of Kreissig Homes purchased the site of Rocky Peak Village complete with city approvals and much of the design work in place, Kim knew there was at least one thing she would never change.
“The cupolas,” said Kreissig, a Realtor with Prudential Steamboat Realty. “That was the first thing I got excited about.”
Architect Laura Frey said she was pleased that the bulk of the original design work she had completed for original developers Kent Hall and Greg Stetman would be retained. Including the cupolas.
The small architectural element gives the shed and gable roof forms of the duplex and triplex townhome buildings a rural appeal that hints at a barn.
“We loved the design and were happy with the floor plans Laura had already drawn,” Kreissig said.
Rocky Peak Village is a development of 34 townhomes at the intersection of Hilltop Parkway and Tamarack Drive between downtown and the ski mountain. Construction on the 14 townhomes in Phase 1 begins this week. Kreissig said five of the townhomes were put under contract in the first week of release to the market this month.
The fact that the development already had a permit from the city of Steamboat Springs meant it pre-dated the affordable housing requirements now required by city ordinance.
“I paid for it in my land costs,” Kreissig said. She doubts the development would have penciled out had she and Peter been required to build affordable units on site.
Prices begin at $730,000 for three-bedroom homes and go up to $795,000 for four-bedroom homes that include 2,263 square feet on three levels.
“I can’t imagine ever being able to build for $350 a square foot again with land costs here,” she said.
The Kreissigs earned a reputation for building mid-range townhomes with high-level finishes at Bear Meadows in 2001, Willowbrook in 2002 and The Willows in 2003 and 2004.
From 2004 to 2008, they tackled 23 luxury townhomes closer to the base of Steamboat Ski Area, at Stonewood, that sold for more than $1 million.
Rocky Peak Village marks a return to townhomes that are more attainable for Steamboat families using their equity to move up, as well as second homeowners and retirees, Kreissig said.
“I’m very sensitive to the fact that $700,000 is still an expensive home,” she said. “We anticipated that local buyers would need two incomes to purchase at Rocky Peak.”
Kreissig said in light of the national economic downturn and the slowing of the local
real estate market from the record pace of 2007, she and her husband took some time to carefully think it through before proceeding with Rocky Peak Village in 2008.
“We did have some pause going in,” she said. “But we decided to forge ahead. This is what we do.”
Frey designed the floor plans at Rocky Peak to include rooms and features that make them more livable for the Steamboat lifestyle. They include two-car garages with room for outdoor toys, separate mudrooms, pantries and full laundry rooms.
The townhomes include 10-foot ceilings on the main level and 9-foot ceilings elsewhere, rustic interior door hardware, pre-wiring for an outdoor hot tub and pre-plumbing for an outdoor natural gas grill.
Kreissig was determined to pull over some of the nicest finishes from Stonewood and succeeded with the same natural stone on the exteriors, some of the same designer light fixtures and the same, high-end wood garage doors.
And of course, there are the cupolas. Kreissig has even chosen a playground equipment manufacturer who will include cupolas in the design.
“Laura and I are in synch on the cupolas,” Kreissig said. “They symbolize community. She’s been having fun finding unique weather vanes for each of the cupolas. There’s a flying pig, a moose and horses.”
— To reach Tom Ross, call 871-4205
or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
By Tom Ross (Contact)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Steamboat Springs — When Peter and Kim Kreissig of Kreissig Homes purchased the site of Rocky Peak Village complete with city approvals and much of the design work in place, Kim knew there was at least one thing she would never change.
“The cupolas,” said Kreissig, a Realtor with Prudential Steamboat Realty. “That was the first thing I got excited about.”
Architect Laura Frey said she was pleased that the bulk of the original design work she had completed for original developers Kent Hall and Greg Stetman would be retained. Including the cupolas.
The small architectural element gives the shed and gable roof forms of the duplex and triplex townhome buildings a rural appeal that hints at a barn.
“We loved the design and were happy with the floor plans Laura had already drawn,” Kreissig said.
Rocky Peak Village is a development of 34 townhomes at the intersection of Hilltop Parkway and Tamarack Drive between downtown and the ski mountain. Construction on the 14 townhomes in Phase 1 begins this week. Kreissig said five of the townhomes were put under contract in the first week of release to the market this month.
The fact that the development already had a permit from the city of Steamboat Springs meant it pre-dated the affordable housing requirements now required by city ordinance.
“I paid for it in my land costs,” Kreissig said. She doubts the development would have penciled out had she and Peter been required to build affordable units on site.
Prices begin at $730,000 for three-bedroom homes and go up to $795,000 for four-bedroom homes that include 2,263 square feet on three levels.
“I can’t imagine ever being able to build for $350 a square foot again with land costs here,” she said.
The Kreissigs earned a reputation for building mid-range townhomes with high-level finishes at Bear Meadows in 2001, Willowbrook in 2002 and The Willows in 2003 and 2004.
From 2004 to 2008, they tackled 23 luxury townhomes closer to the base of Steamboat Ski Area, at Stonewood, that sold for more than $1 million.
Rocky Peak Village marks a return to townhomes that are more attainable for Steamboat families using their equity to move up, as well as second homeowners and retirees, Kreissig said.
“I’m very sensitive to the fact that $700,000 is still an expensive home,” she said. “We anticipated that local buyers would need two incomes to purchase at Rocky Peak.”
Kreissig said in light of the national economic downturn and the slowing of the local
real estate market from the record pace of 2007, she and her husband took some time to carefully think it through before proceeding with Rocky Peak Village in 2008.
“We did have some pause going in,” she said. “But we decided to forge ahead. This is what we do.”
Frey designed the floor plans at Rocky Peak to include rooms and features that make them more livable for the Steamboat lifestyle. They include two-car garages with room for outdoor toys, separate mudrooms, pantries and full laundry rooms.
The townhomes include 10-foot ceilings on the main level and 9-foot ceilings elsewhere, rustic interior door hardware, pre-wiring for an outdoor hot tub and pre-plumbing for an outdoor natural gas grill.
Kreissig was determined to pull over some of the nicest finishes from Stonewood and succeeded with the same natural stone on the exteriors, some of the same designer light fixtures and the same, high-end wood garage doors.
And of course, there are the cupolas. Kreissig has even chosen a playground equipment manufacturer who will include cupolas in the design.
“Laura and I are in synch on the cupolas,” Kreissig said. “They symbolize community. She’s been having fun finding unique weather vanes for each of the cupolas. There’s a flying pig, a moose and horses.”
— To reach Tom Ross, call 871-4205
or e-mail tross@steamboatpilot.com
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Steamboat Housing Study - Editorial Board Comments
Our View: Housing study needs responses - Steamboat Pilot & Today Newspaper
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Editorial Board, May 2008 to August 2008
Bryna Larsen, publisher
Brent Boyer, editor
Mike Lawrence, city editor
Tom Ross, reporter
Eric Morris, community representative
Paul Draper, community representative
Contact the editorial board at (970) 871-4221 or editor@steamboatpilot.com. Would you like to be a member of the board? Fill out a letter of interest now.
Steamboat Springs — Of the many issues raised by the proposed Steamboat 700 development, the need to accurately identify the specific housing needs of our community shoots to the top of the list.
For years, we have developed comprehensive plans and enacted policies aimed at providing affordable housing for Steamboat’s work force, but many of those decisions were made without a complete picture of the existing circumstances and needs of the local market. A much-needed effort to provide such data is now under way, in the form of a market demand analysis commissioned by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority and funded by the city of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, the developers of Steamboat 700 and a number of other private developers and businesses. The analysis will cost between $125,000 and $150,000.
When completed in August, the market demand analysis will provide the clearest picture to date of Steamboat’s work force, its income and its housing needs and preferences. The analysis, being conduced by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., will give local officials an invaluable database of information for devising policies related to affordable housing.
In short, the market demand analysis has the potential to take the guesswork out of determining how and to what extent affordable housing should be mandated within the city limits.
The issue came to a head earlier this year when Steamboat 700 developers proposed aiming their affordable housing at residents making an average of 120 percent of the area median income. The West of Steamboat Springs Area Plan, which outlines how residential development should occur in that area, requires developers to provide affordable housing to people who make an average of 80 percent of the AMI.
Danny Mulcahy of Steamboat 700 and others correctly have suggested a need to provide a range of affordable housing for different segments of the population, with a focus on providing the type of housing needed by the kinds of workers the community is most interested in retaining.
The market demand analysis should provide the data needed to better guide our housing policies. But the market demand analysis only will be as good as the information it can collect and assemble. To that end, Yampa Valley Housing Authority officials are seeking feedback from residents in the form of a detailed survey. Yampa Valley Housing Authority executive director Donna Howell said the surveys will be distributed through local employers in early July. We urge employers to pass the surveys on to their workers and to provide time and possibly incentives for employees to complete the detailed, 30-minute questionnaires.
The answers provided by our work force will provide a foundation for understanding our housing needs. Regardless of whether you support subsidized affordable housing, it’s clear that any decisions regarding it should be made with hard data rather than anecdotal evidence and guesswork.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Editorial Board, May 2008 to August 2008
Bryna Larsen, publisher
Brent Boyer, editor
Mike Lawrence, city editor
Tom Ross, reporter
Eric Morris, community representative
Paul Draper, community representative
Contact the editorial board at (970) 871-4221 or editor@steamboatpilot.com. Would you like to be a member of the board? Fill out a letter of interest now.
Steamboat Springs — Of the many issues raised by the proposed Steamboat 700 development, the need to accurately identify the specific housing needs of our community shoots to the top of the list.
For years, we have developed comprehensive plans and enacted policies aimed at providing affordable housing for Steamboat’s work force, but many of those decisions were made without a complete picture of the existing circumstances and needs of the local market. A much-needed effort to provide such data is now under way, in the form of a market demand analysis commissioned by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority and funded by the city of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, the developers of Steamboat 700 and a number of other private developers and businesses. The analysis will cost between $125,000 and $150,000.
When completed in August, the market demand analysis will provide the clearest picture to date of Steamboat’s work force, its income and its housing needs and preferences. The analysis, being conduced by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., will give local officials an invaluable database of information for devising policies related to affordable housing.
In short, the market demand analysis has the potential to take the guesswork out of determining how and to what extent affordable housing should be mandated within the city limits.
The issue came to a head earlier this year when Steamboat 700 developers proposed aiming their affordable housing at residents making an average of 120 percent of the area median income. The West of Steamboat Springs Area Plan, which outlines how residential development should occur in that area, requires developers to provide affordable housing to people who make an average of 80 percent of the AMI.
Danny Mulcahy of Steamboat 700 and others correctly have suggested a need to provide a range of affordable housing for different segments of the population, with a focus on providing the type of housing needed by the kinds of workers the community is most interested in retaining.
The market demand analysis should provide the data needed to better guide our housing policies. But the market demand analysis only will be as good as the information it can collect and assemble. To that end, Yampa Valley Housing Authority officials are seeking feedback from residents in the form of a detailed survey. Yampa Valley Housing Authority executive director Donna Howell said the surveys will be distributed through local employers in early July. We urge employers to pass the surveys on to their workers and to provide time and possibly incentives for employees to complete the detailed, 30-minute questionnaires.
The answers provided by our work force will provide a foundation for understanding our housing needs. Regardless of whether you support subsidized affordable housing, it’s clear that any decisions regarding it should be made with hard data rather than anecdotal evidence and guesswork.
END OF STEAMBOAT TODAY AND/OR STEAMBOAT PILOT ARTICLE (STEAMBOAT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER)
To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs or the surrounding areas with Buyer Representation, contact
Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21Ski Town Associates.
I am happy to help...
WEB: http://www.steamboatdream.com/
E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net
CELL:(970)846-1086
