Chipeta Commons proposes 12 home lots on Steamboat’s west side
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Marsha Klein of Denver has entered the city planning process with a proposal for Chipeta Commons, a high-density single-family residential subdivision of 12 building lots on the west side of Steamboat Springs at 2385 Lincoln Ave.
Chipeta was the name of Uncompahgre Ute Chief Ouray’s second wife.
If the “Klein property” sounds familiar, it’s because the 4.57-acre parcel has been on and off the real estate market during the last eight years and was considered for several projects, including the site of a new Steamboat Springs Police Department building.
The latest project was submitted to the city’s pre-application process on Feb. 13 by Walter Magill of Four Points Surveying and Engineering.
The Klein property is immediately west of the Routt County Sheriff’s Office on Lagoon Court. The property is also recognizable from an older, yellow house that fronts on U.S. Highway 40.
Magill wrote in a narrative submitted to the city that the intent is to create the 12 lots on the north side of the property. The southern end of the property is occupied by wetlands bordering Bear River Park.
Magill suggested the Chipeta Commons site is favorable for a residential neighborhood because it would be within walking distance of the park and the Yampa River Core Trail, as well as a transit stop.
A critical issue, according to Magill, may be how the city views Klein’s intention of accessing the new subdivision from Lagoon Court, which was built to improve access to the park but has only a 40-foot right-of-way (compared to the city standard of 60 feet), with an asphalt roadway that varies from 21.7 to 20.9 feet wide. The city typically requires a 24-foot road.
“The city could say we need to dedicate another 20 feet of right-of-way,” Magill said.
Another question he’s planning to pose through the pre-application process, is if, with a new master plan for Bear River Park, including a larger parking lot, the city has plans to build acceleration and deceleration lanes at the intersection of Lagoon Court and Lincoln Avenue.
To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205, email tross@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ThomasSRoss1.
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