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Steamboat Springs used to have an ordinance only allowing three unrelated people to live together in a single-family unit and five in a multi-family unit.
Rebecca Bessey, Steamboat planning director, said the ordinance was originally implemented in the 1960s with the intent of “preserving neighborhood character” but has since contributed to Steamboat’s affordable housing crisis.
“It’s not necessarily uncommon in community zoning codes, though there is a trend to move away from this,” Bessey said. “This would increase opportunities for housing in our community.”
In an effort to move away from what Bessey considered an outdated rule, Steamboat Springs City Council members Tuesday voted 4-3 to change the code requirement from three unrelated people to five in a single unit. Council President Jason Lacy and members Sonja Macys and Heather Sloop voted against the proposal as they wanted to send it back to the city’s planning commission for more information.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS After a lengthy discussion Tuesday night, four members of the Steamboat Springs City Council directed City Attorney Dan Foote to explore making Steamboat the first city in Colorado to tax timeshares. Council member Sonja Macys was absent from the meeting, and President Jason Lacy and member Robin Crossan recused themselves from the discussion due to conflicts of interest.
Tuesday was the first time the council discussed the timeshare tax, which would be assessed when a timeshare owner or member trades with an owner or member of another program. Exchanges are often facilitated by third-party exchange companies, and the owner or member deposits their points and then books something else of equivalent or lesser value. The exchange company then charges a fee, and the owner or member pays an annual fee.