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Steamboat Springs — Land preservation subdivisions have been the dominant trend in rural Routt County for a decade. Now, that trend is creating a niche for more traditional rural subdivisions - neighborhoods where residents have more freedom to use their 35-acre parcels to suit them.

They are subdivisions where horses and snowmobiles often are part of the lifestyle.

That is the case with Elk Meadows, a residential neighborhood of 10 homesteads. Elk Meadows is seven miles west of downtown Steamboat Springs and two miles north of U.S. Highway 40 on Routt County Road 44.

"We're trying to develop it like they used to be," said co-listing broker Jim Hansen of Old Town Realty. "The neighbors are thrilled that we didn't go for the increased density of an LPS, and the feedback we're getting from the marketplace is exciting."

Together, the residents will share almost 300 acres of open space, Hansen said.

Another example of the 35-acres model is Vista Ridge, developed in 2006 on land controlled by Peabody Energy. It contains 19 lots and a 119-acre open space easement on 710 acres five miles south of Milner via Routt County Road 179.

The developer of Elk Meadows is Packerland LLC, a group of people with ties to Wisconsin. They include Paul Berge, who is the president of the board of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, Len Mattioli, Kent Johnson, Jay Smith, Maren Berge and Hansen's colleague and co-listing broker Gabriele Seide.

Prices for the lots, which range from 35.11 acres to 39.72 and include 5-acre building envelopes, begin at $595,000 and go up to $895,000. However, Hansen said as soon as two or three home sites go under contract, there will be a price revision.

Elk Meadows offers elevated views of the ski slopes on Mount Werner, as well as the irrigated hay meadows and ranch buildings that are strung along the lower Elk River just above its confluence with the Yampa River. The south end of the mountain known as Sleeping Giant dominates views to the north, but it also is possible to glimpse the snowy peaks of the Sawtooth Range within the distant Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area.

Seide said the intent is to continue to lease the hay fields on the property to a nearby rancher and keep the open land under agricultural tax rates.

Hansen said the declarations contained in the homeowners association documents were deliberately crafted so as not to constrain the future owners.

"Remember, it's only 10 homeowners," Hansen said. "We deliberately kept the declarations loose to put control in the hands of the (HOA) board. There will be a few ponds near the entrance and the HOA will plow the roads, but there won't be elaborate amenities and there won't be substantial monthly fees."

Country roads

The intent, Hansen said, was to create a subdivision where the neighbors could enjoy snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, for example, on a network of easements across the entire property.

The HOA declarations also would make it relatively easy for owners to gain approval to fence up to 10 acres around their homes, allowing them to pasture horses or graze a small herd of cattle if their children want to have a 4-H project.

During Routt County winters, future residents of Elk Meadows would drive just two miles of unpaved road on a primary snow removal route to reach U.S. Highway 40 for a quick run into Steamboat.

However, on a beautiful August evening, owners might prefer the back roads into Steamboat along wide-open Routt County Road 42. It's just an 11-minute cruise to the stoplight at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Elk River Road.

Seide said the developers are encouraging the future homeowners association to establish a 1 percent real estate transfer fee, a part of which would benefit the Winter Sports Club.

The contractor on the subdivision roads was Rick Voeltzel.