Slate Creek Neighborhood

Community Builders 2024-2026

Community Solutions Phase 1:

In early 2024, the Steamboat City Council directed City staff to seek assistance with a new process for Brown Ranch. In May 2024, the City of Steamboat Springs released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking consultant support to guide a process that engages community members, the City, and YVHA in learning and collaborative problem solving to find a path forward for Brown Ranch.

In August 2024, the City of Steamboat Springs contracted with the Community Builders team, which includes Cascadia Partners and Civic Canopy to:

  • Co-design a community engagement and public deliberation strategy for the purpose of engaging a wide variety of stakeholders and community members regarding the rejection of the proposed Brown Ranch annexation.
  • Execute a transparent and productive public deliberation process to move affordable housing solutions and Brown Ranch forward.
  • In order to hear from diverse community voices Community Builders created the Brown Ranch Community Deliberation and Stewardship Team (DST) made up of 40 people.

The City of Steamboat Springs tracks the progress on has more information on it’s Engage Steamboat – Brown Ranch Solutions website.

    Community Solutions Phase 2:

    In late February 2026, leadership from the City of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, and YVHA met to begin defining a new joint governance structure for Brown Ranch. Facilitated by Civic Canopy with support from Community Builders, the group focused on how the three entities would work together, make decisions by consensus, and restructure the previous steering committee to reflect a more collaborative and transparent approach to moving the project forward.

    The group will continue to meet over the coming months to provide direction on community engagement, to define the end state needed to submit a proposal for annexation, and to catalogue constraints and opportunities to annexation and future development of the formerly Brown Ranch, now Slate Creek property. In consultation with the community, the group will also develop an Annexation Roadmap for Slate Creek, including a clear set of components for a Slate Creek Plan and annexation proposal.

    Agendas, reports and videos from these meetings can be found on the Engage Steamboat – Brown Ranch Community Solutions website.

      Timeline

      April 2024 - Ongoing

      Outreach to the community to listen and learn and consider what is next for the 420 acres YVHA owns at the Brown Ranch and within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB).

      March 2024

      City voters declined to annex the Brown Ranch.

      January 2024

      Petitioners gathered signatures to force a vote on Brown Ranch annexation.

      November 2023

      City voters approved that 75% of the short-term rental tax would be dedicated to the Brown Ranch.

      January 2023

      Starting in Jan 2023, YVHA and the City of Steamboat Springs worked on an annexation agreement for the Brown Ranch. Numerous community meetings were held. The annexation agreement was finalized and approved by the Steamboat Springs City Council in October 2023.

      November 2022

      City voters passed a short-term rental tax to fund affordable housing.

      2021-2023

      YVHA organized over 250 meetings with community members and experts to design the 2022 Brown Ranch Community Development Plan, otherwise known as a master plan.

      In Detail:

      • YVHA created a 20-member Steering Committee team to create an overall vision with main priorities to guide the development process and plan.
      • Five Focus Teams that included a Steering Committee member, a local expert, a YVHA board member and at least one technical consultant held public meetings to get input for the Community Development Plan. The Focus Teams categories included Residential and Non-residential Demand, Project Economics and Stewardship, Infrastructure, Urban Design, Sustainability and Health Equity.
      • YVHA conducted targeted outreach with groups that were interested in living at the Brown Ranch as well as other community stakeholders.
      • YVHA also held community meetings and briefings totaling 250 meetings that reached about 4000 people.
      • YVHA worked with numerous organizations to create community partnerships that would provide services at the Brown Ranch including access to childcare, healthcare, parks and sports fields, arts, environmental programs, healthy food and the arts.

      2021

      In 2021, with a $24 million anonymous donation, the Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) purchased 534 acres at Brown Ranch. YVHA hosted hundreds of meetings with community members and technical experts to create the Brown Ranch Community Development Plan (2022). The Brown Ranch Annexation Committee (BRAC) was formed in 2023 to negotiate the terms of an annexation of approximately 420 acres of land on the western border of current city limits. In March 2024, Steamboat Springs voters rejected the annexation in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Annexation Agreement.

      1980 - 2007

      By the early 1980s, the family moved into town and stopped farming. And by the mid 1990s, the 534-acre Brown ranch was identified as the preferred future growth area for the City of Steamboat Springs. The property was purchased in 2007 by an investment group but was never developed or annexed into the City of Steamboat Springs.

      1960 - 1980

      In the 1960s Steve, Marvin’s son, returned home from college. Steve took over the management and daily work around the family farm, growing timothy hay, alfalfa and small grains while raising horses and cattle. Eventually he built a family house, a log barn and a horse barn for his wife Mary and another generation of Brown children.

      1909-1960

      Although A.R. became a banker, he still loved farming. And during the Great Depression, he was able to acquire property west and south of town. The property to the west, he turned into a productive farm. In due course, his son Marvin began working the land, producing oats and wheat while raising his family.

      1908

      In 1908, Amos R. (A.R.) Brown moved from Iowa to Steamboat Springs. Upon his arrival, he found a thriving frontier town that was prosperous and yet isolated from the outside world. So A.R. and his uncle, a retired banker from Sioux City, in 1909 purchased the Merrill interests in the First National Bank of Steamboat Springs. The bank was in what is now the historic Rehder Building. A.R. became the cashier; his uncle was elected a director.

      2022 Proposed Community Development Plan (CDP)

      The 2022 Brown Ranch Community Development Plan (CDP) was developed by numerous experts including Mithun Architects, Colorado Futures Center, Community Wildfire Planning Center, Landmark Engineering, Liveable Cities, LRE Water, McDowell Engineering, RCLCO, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and Williford Consulting, as well as with community engagement partners including the United Way, Integrated Community, LatinX and Colorado Mountain College.

      This plan emphasized these priorities for the local workforce: affordability, sustainability, and equity.

      Associated Documents

      These additional expert evaluations and reports informed the decisions for various aspects of the Brown Ranch including:

      To view the documents as an interactive flipbook, click on the document image.  To download the full PDF click the “Download PDF” button.

      Brown Ranch Geotechnical Feasibility Memo

      Brown Ranch Geotechnical Feasibility Memo

      Supplemental Geotechnical Investigation – Neighborhoods at Brown Ranch – DRAFT

      Supplemental Geotechnical Investigation – Neighborhoods at Brown Ranch

      Brown Ranch Energy Master Plan

      Brown Ranch Energy Master Plan

      Brown Ranch Wildfire Resiliency Report

      Brown Ranch Wildfire Resiliency Report

      Health Equity Action Plan

      Health Equity Action Plan

      Brown Ranch Fiscal Impact Study

      Brown Ranch Fiscal Impact Study

      Housing Demand Study
      (excerpt from Community Development Plan)

      Housing Demand Study

      West Steamboat Springs Area Plan

      The Brown Ranch Community Development Plan is consistent with the community’s vision for phased westward growth.

      • West Steamboat was always designated for growth: Planned growth was outlined in the City of Steamboat Springs’ West Steamboat Springs Area Plan already in 1999, updated in 2006 and validated by the Routt County Master Plan in 2022.
      • The Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) protects against urban sprawl and was first adopted mutually by Routt County and the City of Steamboat Springs with buy-in from residents in 1995.
      Cover of West Steamboat Springs Area Plan Document

      2023 Annexation Agreement

      This legal document outlined the commitments that both the City of Steamboat Springs and the YVHA made to ensure water, sewer, roads, parks, and other city services at the Brown Ranch.