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Steamboat Springs — Tonight's City Council agenda provides a snapshot of the most pressing issues of recent years, as members are scheduled to revisit issues ranging from water and annexations to affordable housing and base area redevelopment.

Although the city and Steamboat 700 - the proposed 500-acre project seeking annexation into city limits - have agreed the developer should pay $960,000 to help develop the city's water rights and serve the neighborhood that could include 2,000 homes, they now are arguing about when the money should be paid.

The city has proposed splitting the payment in thirds, with the first payment due 30 days after annexation, the second due a year later and the third due two years later. Steamboat 700 has proposed an initial payment of $105,000 after annexation and three equal payments of $285,000. The first of those three payments would be due at the recording of the first final plat creating a building lot, the second would be due a year after that, and the third would be due two years later.

"We don't want there to be any delay in this up-front legal work that could lead to a delay in the building of actual facilities," said City Manager Jon Roberts, explaining the city's opposition to Steamboat 700's proposal. "That could potentially delay our ability to meet the water requirements" of the development.

City Council also will have a discussion about project vesting periods. The Community Development Code requires that a building permit be pulled within three years of a project's approval, but the council has granted extensions to projects recently because of the economic downturn. Rather than dealing with the issue case-by-case, the council hopes to develop a policy it can apply evenly to all projects.

The city's planning staff is recommending that it be allowed to approve one, two-year extension if the project "is still within substantial compliance of the development and dimensional standards contained within the CDC." If a project is not still in compliance, or if an extension longer than two years is being requested, the issue would have to go before Planning Commission and City Council.

Council also will revisit its affordable housing ordinance tonight in many ways. Developer Paul Franklin will request that he be allowed to remove the deed restrictions from two units in The Olympian downtown and make a payment in lieu to the city instead. The payment-in-lieu formula itself also is up for debate.

Council will discuss changes to the formula that would base the formula on construction costs rather than sales. Finally, council will consider the second reading of an ordinance that would allow developers to make a payment and institute a voluntary real estate transfer tax on their projects in addition to building affordable units in order to satisfy the city's affordable housing ordinance.

Public improvement projects at the base of Steamboat Ski Area also will be discussed tonight, and the city will consider loaning $2.6 million to its urban renewal authority to allow projects to begin on schedule this month. The issuance of a $12.5 million bond is behind schedule, but there is no risk that the city will be unable to repay its general fund, Roberts said.

"It's not a problem; it's just getting through the process," Roberts said. "The city's very protected."