New Stagecoach subdivision, Young’s Peak Preserve, offers just 8 lots on 80 acres
Plans for a new subdivision in Stagecoach that would create just eight, 5-acre home lots on an 80-acre parcel are returning to the Routt County planning process next month, three years after developers Mike and Charles Roach cleared the first administrative hurdle with approval of a sketch plan for the Young’s Peak Preserve.
The new neighborhood would overlook Stagecoach Reservoir from the south side of the lake.
Planning Commission approved the sketch plan for the subdivision by a 6-1 vote in 2014, and the Board of Commissioners was unanimous in its approval.
Assistant County Planning Director Kristy Winser confirmed May 24 that the developers are moving forward with the second phase of county approvals by seeking a preliminary plat review. They have hearings scheduled with planning commission on June 1 and the Board of Commissioners on June 27. This round of hearings will consider the technical aspects of the development — road profiles and soil reports, for example.
Ironically, unlike many developers, Roach is seeking to down-zone the current zoning already in place on the property. Much of Stagecoach, about seven miles east of Oak Creek, was originally zoned for high density residential development in the 1960s. That zoning was installed in anticipation of the success of the original Stagecoach Ski Area, which never really took off.
In late 2016, Steamboat Today reported that a new development group was under contract to purchase the ski area and has plans to build a new base village also on the south side of the reservoir.
The original closing was planned for October 2016, but that did not happen. Winser said this week that she has recently been informed that the development group reports that it continues to work toward the purchase.
The eight lots in Young’s Peak Preserve would be aligned just below a ridge line leading to the peak itself. The developers plan to leave 34.6 acres of open space for the wildlife that frequents the mountain. That includes elk, bear, cougars and eagles, according to a wildlife biology consultant’s report on the site. The density of the new neighborhood would be one home per 10 acres.
An introduction to the project, written by the Roachs’ consulting planning firm, Braun Associates of Edwards, reports that the developers hope to “create a small cluster of (5-acre) homesites anchored around a common open space,” with Young’s Peak itself as the focal point. Building envelopes would be limited to 20,000 square feet.
The Roachs previously created the four-lot Young’s Creek Estate subdivision located to the north of the subject parcel. Access to six of the proposed Young’s Creek Preserve homesites would be accessed by the existing Young’s Creek Way — a private drive that serves Young’s Creek Estates with access to County Road 16. The two homesites at the southern end of the project will be accessed via County Road 212.
The developer is also proposing a soft surface trail in the subdivision, which would be public and link to existing off-site trails.
To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205, email tross@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ThomasSRoss1
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