S T E A M B O AT
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
FREE
®
Vol. 21, No. 234
RO U T T
C O U N T Y ’ S
DA I LY
N E W S PA P E R
S T E A M B O AT S P R I N G S
Candidates divided City Council hopefuls split about financing issue; field questions at forum Page 3
S T E A M B O AT S P R I N G S
Big cat sighting Local man encounters mountain lion while biking on Quarry Mountain trail Page 14
SPORTS
MATT STENSLAND/STAFF
Steamboat 700 Principal and Project Manager Danny Mulcahy takes notes while Bill Cousins speaks to Steamboat Springs City Council members during Tuesday night’s public comment period about the proposed development. Cousins, who just moved to Steamboat a week ago from California, said he wanted to comment because he is concerned and interested in the future of Steamboat.
Calls for vote continue
Council worries about proposed Steamboat 700’s housing costs Brandon Gee
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
Rockies win in 11th Page 27
Briefs . . . . . . . . .10 Classifieds . . . . .33 Colorado. . . . . . .25 Comics . . . . . . . .31 Crossword . . . . .31 Happenings . . . . .7
Several residents who attended Tuesday’s Steamboat Springs City Council meeting renewed calls to put the proposed Steamboat 700 annexation to a vote. Extra chairs had to be brought into Centennial Hall to accommodate the large crowd that turned out for council’s preliminary consideration
■ LOTTO
■ INDEX Horoscope . . . . .32 La Vecindad . . . .12 Nation. . . . . . . . .26 Sports. . . . . . . . .27 ViewPoints . . . . . .8 Weather . . . . . . .43
Tuesday night’s Cash 5 numbers: 1-13-15-20-30 Drawings are held Monday through Saturday.
of a collection of resolutions Commissioners and ordinancendorse es that would Steamboat 700 annex the 487See page 6 acre project, which proposes 2,000 homes and 380,000 square feet of commercial space on property just west of the current city limits. The first readings of ordinances passed, but Steamboat 700 developers were asked to address a number of issues before returning
For more
PILOT & TODAY STAFF
■ WEATHER
Breezy and cooler with storms. High of 58.
Page 43
for final consideration. “This is a major, major thing for the folks in town, and they should have a say in it,” resident Bill Moser said. Resident Ed MacArthur cautioned council against putting the decision to a vote and said the majority of city residents won’t do the research necessary to say whether the complex development is a good idea. MacArthur, who is president of the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, urged council to
support the project. “Nothing in life will ever be perfect, but this is a good plan,” MacArthur said. “We won’t be a community if we don’t have places to go in the future.” Final consideration of the annexation is Oct. 13. If council approves it, petitioners would have to gather enough signatures from city residents — 10 percent of registered voters — to force a referendum election. See Council, page 16
■ THERE’S MORE ONLINE For around-the-clock updates, breaking local news and sports scores, videos, photos and an interactive community forum, visit www.steamboatpilot.com.