Steamboat 700 - Letter from Project Project Director and Principal of Steamboat 700 LLC, Danny Mulcahy

Danny Mulcahy: 700 moving forward
Sunday, August 31, 2008

On Aug. 12, the Steamboat Springs City Council and the Routt County Commissioners considered three applications to amend the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). One of them was our application to amend the UGB so that the entire 700-acre property could be placed within the UGB and annexed as a whole.

We were pleased to receive the support of the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission and City Council. And although we were disappointed not to garner the support of the Routt County Planning Commission or the county commissioners, we respect both county bodies for their thoughtful and consistent UGB policy decisions.

After the Aug. 12 meeting, one of my neighbors mentioned that they had read about the UGB ruling in the paper. “Sorry to hear that,” my neighbor said, “Wow — so does that mean it’s over?”

The question caught me off guard, so much so that I’ve wondered how many area residents are thinking the same thing.

Simply put, the answer is “no.” Far from it.

We are excited to move forward on designing one of the premier communities in the western United States and applying for annexation to Steamboat Springs.

We will make adjustments to our plans and continue to shape the 515 acres within the UGB as a mixed-use, New Urbanist community. The 185 acres outside the UGB will be developed at rural densities.

We will continue to focus on creating a dynamic community by employing New Urbanist design principles that will bring important benefits to the community and its future residents. A more concentrated community will have smaller lots and enhance the community’s housing attainability and affordability. This will push us to be even more creative in how we plan for a diverse array of housing options.

Moreover, the extensive parks and open space plan in the new community will be highly accessible with walkable connections. We will strive to fulfill the New Urbanist ideals below the UGB, which will enhance the potential for convenient and accessible transit service.

What has not changed is Steamboat 700 LLC’s commitment to building a world-class community. We still plan to submit our application for annexation in October and move toward Planning Commission and City Council consideration of our annexation application in summer 2009.

More importantly, our guiding principles remain the same:

■ A housing plan for the full range of households and families, both rental and home-ownership.

■ A creative and robust affordable housing program where Steamboat residents and workers can establish roots in the community. Our commitment is to provide at least 20 percent of the total homes as affordable housing.

■ A vibrant mix of land uses in a traditional setting, where people can live, work, shop and play.

■ A superior system of parks, trails and bike paths that reflects Steamboat’s outdoor lifestyle.

■ Planning and design that promotes sustainable and environmentally-responsible development.

In the meantime, we continue to work collaboratively with the city as we create a community that we all can be proud of.

Steamboat 700 has been — and should continue to be — a public process that involves the community. There is much more to come, and we encourage the entire community to get engaged in this process.

Danny Mulcahy

Project director and principal of Steamboat 700 LLC

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