Brown Ranch Annexation Statement of Support

Steamboat Springs Chamber Board of Directors support a “Yes” vote on the Brown Ranch annexation special election ballot on March 26.

Brown Ranch Annexation Ballot Language:

Shall the City of Steamboat Springs ("City") adopt Ordinance No. 2933 to annex approximately four hundred twenty acres of real property owned by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority ("YVHA") and known as Brown Ranch for the purpose of developing affordable and attainable housing in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Annexation Agreement between the City and YVHA dated Oct. 17, 2023?

The Steamboat Springs Chamber Board of Directors is dedicated to advocating for the needs of our member businesses. According to our 2022 and 2023 member surveys, the number one concern identified among members was employee retention and attraction due to housing. There are multiple factors for the affordable housing crisis our community is facing, and we recognize there is no perfect solution to remedy it. We believe a good solution is now in the hands of voters with the annexation of the land known as Brown Ranch. We support the ballot initiative as we think the pros of annexation outweigh the consequences that delaying annexation would have on attainable and affordable housing. The Steamboat Springs Chamber Board of Directors is encouraging a “Yes” vote to Ordinance No. 2933 that would annex the land known as the Brown Ranch into the City of Steamboat Springs. This special election will take place on March 26.

Over the past month, the Chamber has been focused on providing balanced education and feedback opportunities specific to the Brown Ranch annexation to our Board and membership. During our January 2024 Board of Directors meeting, we held presentations from both House Our Community (pro-annexation) and Citizens for a Better Plan (against annexation) to help inform our Board of Directors. Following this meeting, we sent a survey to members, non-members, and their employees of varying industries of which we received 429 responses total. The results of this survey showed a simple majority of respondents and 61.9% of Chamber member respondents support the Brown Ranch annexation. In addition, 87.2% of member respondents wanted the Steamboat Springs Chamber to take either a support or informational position. We are appreciative of all the feedback we received from this survey and choose to align our position with the membership majority.

While our Board of Directors acknowledges there are concerns with the Brown Ranch project, we believe annexing this property is the best way forward to support our member businesses’ needs. We support the goals of the annexation agreement between The Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) and the City of Steamboat Springs, and we are confident the provisions of the agreement protect the City and hold YVHA accountable through the stages of development. Should the annexation pass, we are committed to advocating for our member businesses' needs and concerns throughout the Brown Ranch planning and development process. 

To learn more information, please refer to the resources below. 

• House Our Community (pro-annexation)
• Citizens for a Better Plan (anti-annexation)
• General Election Information

Please reach out to Sarah Leonard with questions or concerns.