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Steamboat Springs — Residential development west of 13th Street is occurring faster than the city expected, and the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission will be asked tonight to identify its target build-out for the area that includes two projects seeking annexation.

Steamboat 700 Project Manager Danny Mulcahy said the increase is a good thing that will help prevent sprawl in outlying areas of Routt County.

The city's West of Steamboat Springs Area Plan included about 1,100 acres of vacant land and a target build-out of 1,100 to 2,635 units, or 1 to 2.4 dwelling units per acre. Steamboat 700 and 360 Village are proposing more than 2,900 units on 620 of those acres, or 4.8 dwelling units per acre. The city also estimates an additional 925 dwelling units can be expected within existing city limits west of 13th Street.

"A lot of this higher number comes from infill. I don't want to lie this at the doorsteps of the annexation proposals," said Planning Services Manager John Eastman, who said even west-side industrial projects are increasingly incorporating residential components. "The unexpected outcomes are the result of being more successful at achieving infill development."

Eastman agreed with Mulcahy that the higher number of homes is a good thing that furthers stated community goals for higher density and more pedestrian- and transit-friendly neighborhoods. But allowing more homes also has infrastructure implications.

"I want to be really clear. That's not a bad thing. If anything, that's a positive outcome of the community plan," Eastman said about proposed increases in density. "We're checking with the community to see if they're OK with that. : That has a potential to cause a lot of concern from some people."

The city's planning staff is not making a recommendation on the build-out question, but needs an answer to move forward with transportation and fiscal impact studies. Mulcahy is upset with the way planners have couched the question, though. In its staff report and a newspaper advertisement, planning staff has stated that allowing the number of units proposed would require widening U.S. Highway 40 to six lanes while the WSSAP target requires only four lanes. Mulcahy said the city is contaminating the work of an ongoing transportation study by assuming its conclusions.

"They're not supposed to be presupposing," Mulcahy said. "There's a whole bunch of options the (study) can say."

Mulcahy said it would be a mistake to limit growth in the west Steamboat area and that doing so would be to promote scattered development in other areas of the county.

"We essentially force people into their cars," Mulcahy said. "If we limit the growth there, we are forcing people to drive into town. There's just no way around it. : I think density is to the community's benefit."