Mountain Area Master Plan

Steamboat Springs MAMP_City FINAL Cover

A Vision for the Mountain Area

The area surrounding the Steamboat Ski Resort has come a long way since the first lifts started running more than 50 years ago. In 2020, the City of Steamboat Springs launched an update to the community’s Mountain Area Master Plan. The success of the Mountain Area is critical to the long-term vitality and resiliency of our community as a whole.  

The Mountain Area Master Plan envisions a Mountain Area that is a colorful, spirited, and friendly gathering place that while rooted in recreation, is a vibrant social hub with activities, housing, hospitality, and commerce that caters to visitors and locals alike.

Mountain Area Master Plan – Adopted November 1, 2022

GTC RenderingPlan Elements

The Mountain Area Master Plan serves as planning-level guide for an area of Steamboat Springs that is vitally important to the local economy and to the community members who live, work, and recreate here. The plan focuses on three priority planning elements for the Mountain Area:

  • Economic Vitality: the vibrancy of public spaces, private establishments, and activities available to residents and visitors.
  • Identify: the unique character of the Mountain Area including art, heritage, and culture.
  • Access and Mobility: multi-modal connectivity and accessibility in the Mountain Area.

For each element, the plan summarizes key issues, identifies opportunities, establishes objectives, and recommends actions.

The plan was also guided by overarching themes of resiliency, sustainability, and visitor experience. These core values are fundamental to proactively planning for the long-term vitality and quality of life in the Mountain Area, the City of Steamboat Springs, and the broader community.

Figure 22Action and Implementation Recommendations

Activities that aim to implement the Mountain Area Master Plan will take many forms; including capital projects, adjustments to code and polices, private investment, and new and enhanced partnerships.

The recommended actions were the result of input from stakeholders and the public, guidance from the Mountain Area Master Plan Advisory Committee, direction from the organizations responsible for implementation, and professional analysis regarding the likely effectiveness of an action in achieving plan objectives.

The draft plan identifies a series of “Big Moves” – a new generation of public and private investments designed to benefit current and future residents, as well as visitors. Each of these projects will require additional community dialogue and feedback to co-establish project-level outcomes and final project designs that deliver on the broader community vision for the Mountain Area.

The community-driven plan also looks beyond major capital improvements and identifies smaller-scale capital projects, new partnerships, more detailed analysis, and revisions to codes and standards need to help achieve the vision for the Mountain Area.

Project Contact

Brad Calvert, Principal Planner
City of Steamboat Springs
Email Brad Calvert