Brown Ranch annexation ballots to be mailed March 4
John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today
Active voters in Steamboat Springs will be mailed ballots next week for the city’s March 26 special election regarding the proposed Brown Ranch annexation agreement.
The special election will ask voters to support or reject the agreement, which would bring approximately 420 acres of property owned by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, known as Brown Ranch, into city limits for the purpose of developing affordable and attainable housing under terms laid out in the annexation agreement finalized in October.
If the annexation is approved, the plan calls for the phased construction of 2,264 affordable and attainable housing units by 2042. The housing authority purchased Brown Ranch in 2021 with a $24 million anonymous donation.
The annexation agreement can be found on the city’s website at SteamboatSprings.net. The agreement outlines conditions for how many units can be built, what infrastructure is required and how the costs will be shared between the housing authority and the city.
The agreement also identifies a roughly $52 million funding gap for the city’s portion of the project and includes provisions allowing the city to reject building permits for the project if the city is unable to fund the required infrastructure.
In November, voters approved ballot measure 2i, which would allocate 75% of the city’s short-term rental tax revenue to the housing authority to support the Brown Ranch project. That ballot measure would be nullified should the annexation agreement ballot fail to pass.
According to the city, the Brown Ranch referendum ballots will be mailed March 4 with voter services available 8 a.m.-5 p.m. March 18-25 at the city’s offices at 124 10th St.
Ballots must be returned to the city by 7 p.m. March 26 using the 24-hour ballot dropbox behind the downtown Routt County Historic Courthouse at 522 Lincoln Ave.
Replacement ballots can be requested by phone or in person by contacting the city clerk’s office. The last day to request a replacement ballot is March 18. Voters can also request ballots be mailed to an alternate address by going to GoVoteColorado.gov.
For questions about the special election, contact the city clerk’s office in person or by calling 970-871-8248.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.