Commissioners, lot owners, sanitation district debate septic issue
The Routt County Board of Commissioners offered a ray of hope last week to 1,155 lot owners in some of the original subdivisions at Stagecoach. The commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to reject a proposal from the Morrison Creek Metropolitan Water and Sanitation District to cap the number of sealed sewage vaults that can be installed on the lots.
Window shoppers give Realtors hope
If the entire Steamboat Springs real estate market were viewed as a single, large-format retail store, local Realtors say things are looking up. The reason: Even if customers aren’t buying like they were a couple years ago, at least they’re coming through the door again.
Black Friday not a fit for local retail
Retailers in Steamboat Springs have another term for Black Friday — they call it Light up the Night. The Friday after Thanksgiving is when Mainstreet Steamboat Springs hosts Light Up the Night at 6 p.m. on the Routt County Courthouse lawn.
Bike track, performance park considered for Ski Time Square
The developer seeking city approval for plans to redevelop Ski Time Square is looking into plans to build a small, park-like performance venue, as well as a small bicycle venue called a pump track, next summer.
New Victory Highway work raises concerns about weeds
City officials sent a certified letter to New Victory Highway contractor Duckels Construction on Tuesday emphasizing the need to avoid spreading noxious weeds. The letter cautions Duckels that the company could be responsible under the Colorado Noxious Weed Act.
Cog Road repairs to begin Monday
After nearly two months of delays, the $1.23 million construction project to repair a section of Routt County Road 76, the Cog Road, is set to begin Monday.
Fish Creek, Bruce’s trails open to cross-country enthusiasts
The opening of Steamboat Ski Area for Alpine skiers and snowboarders still is a week away, but cross-country skiers in Steamboat have two options this week. The Steamboat Ski Touring Center made the most of the recent snowstorm to open the beginners’ area and the Fish Creek Trail on Sunday.
Struggling building department seeks 58 percent fee increase
The Steamboat Springs City Council is expected to vote tonight on a proposal to raise building permit and plan check fees by 58 percent to help offset declining revenues collected by the building department. A similar measure is being considered by the Routt County Board of Commissioners.
Tom Ross: A place for book enthusiasts
Site helps you find reads like Stegner’s Powell biography
I haven’t logged any face time on Facebook yet, but I blog at least three times a week and I tweet like a neo-tropical songbird. Beginning today, I also read good. I now have a profile on a social networking site for bookworms called Goodreads.
On the Market: Dudley joins Prudential as marketing manager
Mark Dudley has joined the Vanatta Group at Prudential Steamboat Realty as marketing manager and broker/associate. The announcement was made by Pam Vanatta, co-owner of Prudential Steamboat.
Routt County foreclosure filings continue to rise
Front Range expert: Yampa Valley property scene not as bad, but there is likely more hardship ahead
The number of Americans facing the prospect of losing their homes to foreclosure was down for the third straight month in October, but it was still up nearly 20 percent from a year ago. And a Front Range foreclosure expert recently told a Steamboat audience that on a per capita basis, the distressed property scene in Routt County is not nearly as pronounced as in Weld and Larimer counties, for example. But there’s likely more hardship ahead in the Yampa Valley.
One Steamboat Place plaza to open with ski area
Condominiums ready to begin closing 1st 100 sales
The developers of One Steamboat Place say they are ready to come out of the starting gates Nov. 25 when they open their public plaza simultaneously with the first day of skiing at Steamboat Ski Area.
Lincoln Avenue work stops for winter
Contractors finish in the nick of time, dodging snowstorm
Construction on Lincoln Avenue/U.S. Highway 40 wrapped up for the season Thursday, one day before winter arrived in Steamboat Springs. This fall’s underground utility work was a prelude to next spring, when the asphalt pavement on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Steamboat will be replaced by concrete.
Tom Ross: Lea wants to borrow your car
Lea Croteau is a professional sports car driver, and she wants to borrow your vehicle. And don’t be surprised if your set of wheels seems to have undergone an attitude adjustment when she returns it — Croteau knows how to accelerate out of the corners.
New baggage scanners could ease travel hassles at YVRA
Luggage-screening machines may help shorten check-in lines
Airport officials hope the $800,000 of new equipment will take some of the stress out of travel this winter for passengers and airport staff. The additional equipment doubles the airport's scanning capacity.
New Victory Highway work under way
Despite lawsuit, uncertain future of developments, road takes shape
The ultimate fate of the three residential neighborhoods that could be served by New Victory Highway is unknown. But construction on the arterial road on Steamboat’s west side is suddenly in full swing.
Tom Ross: Enjoy the balmy weather while you can
We drove to the base of the Thunderhead Express on Sunday morning determined to hike up the mountain through the fresh powder. I would estimate the depth of the newly fallen snow at one-quarter of an inch — wahoo! Rip it up. Just two weeks until opening day!
On the Market: Steamboat Springs land sales slow to a trickle
Just 14 land sales have been closed in Steamboat Springs and the South Valley in the past 12 months, said Doug Labor, of Buyers Resource Real Estate.
Speaker: Buyers uninterested in low-balling
Lori Thompson says properties not selling unless priced close to target
Broker/owner Lori Thompson told a gathering of nearly 200 people at the Colorado Group Realty Real Estate Roundup and Expo on Thursday night that sales of single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes closed this year have been for an amount within 10 percent of list price.
Wildhorse gondola construction steadily progessing
4 suits for condo sales pending
The gondola towers rising from Wildhorse Meadows are tangible evidence of the steady progress being made at Wildhorse despite the down economy. But closings on 30-plus condominiums at Trailhead Lodge can be expected to continue at a gradual pace for months to come.
Yampa River Core Trail work starts
Addition to begin behind Walton Pond and head upstream
Excavating crews took advantage of the unseasonably mild weather this week to launch construction of a $374,000 extension of the Yampa River Core Trail on the city’s south side.
Council approves Iron Horse lease
Some long-term rentals are expected to remain available
Two dozen or more Steamboat households face an uncertain winter after the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a lease agreement with Boulder hotel operator New West Inns for the city-owned Iron Horse Inn.
Tom Ross: Who knew Winter Carnival was sexy in 1928?
Who but the dynamic duo of Harriet Freiberger and Ken Proper could come up with a sexy cover photo for a serious history book about Steamboat Springs?
Council considers final approval of medical marijuana ordinance
If Steamboat Springs City Council approves a new medical marijuana ordinance tonight, it effectively will formalize collection of the city's 4.5 percent tax on marijuana sales.
Historic home hidden in willows
Former sheep ranch comprises 31 platted city lots
Chances are, locals have driven by the property of longtime Steamboat residents Mike Kortas and his wife, Nina Darlington, many times without appreciating what they were looking at. The entire 13 acres is available for $1.8 million or broken into its component parts.
Realtors hope trends signal market stabilization
Taken as a snapshot, real estate sales consummated Wednesday offer a glimpse of a market in transition. In a market where year-to-date dollar volume as of the end of the third quarter is down 62 percent, Wednesday's closings suggest there are buyers looking in a variety of price points and at widely ranging properties.
On the Market: Limberg honored for service as chairwoman
Jill Limberg, managing broker/owner at Colorado Group Realty, was recognized with a Distinguished Service Award during the recent state convention of the Colorado Association of Realtors at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.
Speaker: Challenge is to make beginners lifelong skiers
Michael Berry came to the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association's 102nd annual meeting to lay out the challenges facing the ski industry in the decade ahead. And something as seemingly innocuous as a chairlift ride could make a difference, Berry said.
Gondola haul rope replaced for 2nd time in 2 years
Steamboat Ski Area executive Doug Allen was hoping for an end to the winds that battered the base of Mount Werner on Wednesday so crews could get back to the chore of making the Steamboat gondola ready for opening day Nov. 25. For the second time in two years, contractors are hustling to install a new 60-ton gondola haul rope at the ski area.
Partners seek OK for 14 starter townhomes
Curt Weiss and the Weiss Family Partnership have entered the city planning process with a plan to demolish three older wooden frame buildings and replace them with 14 new townhomes. The four townhome buildings would be built on an acre of land sandwiched between two ponds and just steps from the Yampa River on the city's south side.
Fractionals, timeshares make sense in down economy
Many in recessionary market turn to smaller purchases to tune of $11.28M through August
In a recessionary economy where cash is said to be king, purchases of fractional and timeshare vacation homes are gaining traction. However, the two should not be confused with each other.
El Niño a winter wild card
Pacific phenomenon a prime factor in season's climate forecast
The wild card in Steamboat Springs' long-range winter climate outlook is El Niño. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a winter forecast that rates the chances of average, below average and above average precipitation in the region as a toss-up.
Commissioners promise to hold gravel pit to strict conditions
On Tuesday night, County Commissioner Nancy Stahoviak told developer Ed MacArthur of Steamboat Sand and Gravel that he would be asked to live up to most of the same stringent requirements placed on an applicant four years ago before winning a permit to mine gravel along the Yampa River south of Steamboat Springs.
Snow piling up north of Steamboat Springs
The snow depth in the highest elevations of the Routt National Forest north of Steamboat Springs grew substantially during the weekend.
Tom Ross: The groomsmen wore coyote skin caps
Weddings of the rich and brilliant in the Sunday Times
Feeling a little full of yourself? Would it do you good to be knocked down a peg? I have the fix you seek. Never have I been so fascinated in the midst of suffering from a sudden onset of inferiority complex as when I settled in with the New York Times Wedding/Celebrations section during the weekend.
360 partner faces unrelated foreclosures
Virginia-based Hank Wilton is reorganizing his assets, local Realtor says
Developer Hank Wilton, the majority partner in the proposed 360 Village project seeking annexation into Steamboat Springs city limits, is the subject of three foreclosure filings in the Routt County Public Trustee's Office.
Pending sales hold the line above century mark
Trying to discern trends in the Routt County real estate market this autumn is like playing a popular pub game. It could be compared to throwing darts at a board without knowing for certain where the bull's-eye is, one Steamboat Realtor said.
On the Market: Johnson joins Prudential as a broker associate
Sharon Johnson has joined Prudential Steamboat Realty as a full-time broker associate in the Hayden office.
Local women persevere in search for homes of their own
Michelle House and Rene Mattone have taken divergent paths during the past 13 months to realize their dreams of affordable housing in Steamboat Springs.
Trees put skiing on hold at Bruce's Trail
Forest Service removing dead lodgepole pines
The snow visible on Storm Peak combined with an overnight forecast that included a chance of snow showers could encourage Nordic skiers to scrape the summer wax off their skis this morning. However, anyone hoping to make the annual pilgrimage to Bruce's Trail will be disappointed.
Tom Ross: Book reveals Steamboat Springs you never knew
Northwest Colorado is blessed with a wealth of serious books about local history. And there is a brand-new volume that will quickly earn a place in your personal library. It will help you see Steamboat Springs the way the pioneers did. Literally.
Steamboat-based romance author gets her groove back
Veronica Blake's 'Black Horse' is out
Veronica "Ronee" Blake has resurrected a dream she thought she had lost forever. Blake's new historical romance novel, "Black Horse," has just been released by Dorchester Publishing Co. And Blake, the office manager for the Routt County Regional Planning Department, is off to Las Vegas next week for a pair of book signing events at Borders book stores.
Tom Ross: Who said anything about a grizz?
Alaskan hunter sights a 7-foot-tall bear in Zirkel Wilderness
Whether it was an unusually large black bear that approached the camp in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness or something more fearsome, it was enough to put the fear into a hunter from Alaska. You and I would be frightened, too, if we encountered a bear as tall as Shaquille O'Neal.
Silver Spur neighborhood sees 5 sales of $600K or more
Perhaps more than any neighborhood in Steamboat Springs, Silver Spur represents a self-contained single-family market where prospective buyers can look at six to eight homes in their price range and make realistic comparisons.
Unit at Storm Meadows sells for more than appraised tax value
Real estate professionals don't put a great deal of stock in the county appraiser's valuation. That's because state law mandates that the figure is about two years old by the time owners get their valuation notices.
On the Market: Hayden's Prudential office gets new broker
Sharon Johnson has joined Prudential Steamboat Realty as a full-time broker associate in the Hayden office.
City plans to extend Core Trail
3,700-foot project slated for Steamboat's south side
City Open Space Supervisor Craig Robinson is looking for an aggressive contractor to build the newest extension of the Yampa River Core Trail, while hoping for the benign November construction weather Steamboat Springs saw in 2007 and 2008.
Tom Ross: Last call for Antares
Owners walking away from 8th Street restaurant
You're not likely to see a fine dining restaurant like Antares in Steamboat ever again. How often do you find a rustic former farm implement repair shop with native stone masonry and a commercial kitchen for lease? In a ski town!
Building trades getting through recession on remodels, additions
Highly skilled workers in Steamboat's building trades are intently focusing on remodels and additions to existing homes, as the slump in single-family building drags on toward 2010.
11 of 54 Dry Creek lots have sold in Hayden
Developers plan Oct. 18 auction to move homesites
Ask Realtors in Steamboat Springs, and they are apt to tell you the relative few buyers in the market right now feel no sense of urgency.
OlderNewer