The proposal for hundreds of luxury homes, a ski area and golf course to create Stagecoach Mountain Ranch south of Stagecoach Reservoir is not the only residential development dependent on water infrastructure upgrades at Morrison Creek Water and Sanitation District.
District General Manager Geovanny Romero said two other, smaller residential subdivision developments — Tailwaters at Stagecoach based in Edwards, and Landaulet based in Steamboat Springs — have asked Morrison Creek for water and sewer services.
Alan Goldich at Routt County Planning said Monday that the developers of Tailwaters and Landaulet have both submitted official proposals to the county. However, the larger Stagecoach Mountain Ranch has not yet submitted a development proposal to county planning.
Although the Morrison Creek district has sufficient water supply, it does not have sufficient infrastructure to serve additional developments at this time, according to Romero. To do so, the district needs a new water storage tank to hold at least 500,000 gallons, and a new booster station and pressure reducing station — which were estimated in 2022 to cost approximately $2 million.
The district has issued a “commitment letter for district central water and sewer service” to Tailwaters and Landaulet, as well as a “conditional commitment letter” to Stagecoach Mountain Ranch not including water for the golf course and ski area.
“The district decided not to provide water for the purposes of golf course irrigation or snow making,” Romero said about Stagecoach Mountain Ranch. “The developers will have to find their own source for irrigation or snowmaking or contract with the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District for their non-potable water needs. If the project is approved by the county, the district could provide potable water for residential and commercial buildings.”
Holly Kirkpatrick, spokesperson for Upper Yampa Water, noted the conservancy district issued a “can and will serve raw water service” letter on March 25 to Discovery Land Co., the developers of Stagecoach Mountain Ranch. That letter does not constitute a water contract, although the golf course and snowmaking would fall under the decreed reservoir water uses of industrial or irrigation uses.
The cost for the major infrastructure improvements would be a proportionally shared expense by the three developers, according to Romero. In addition, the developers would need to pay for construction of water and sewer lines to the development parcels.
Romero emphasized that current customers of the Morrison Creek district would not foot the bills for new infrastructure. The district currently serves approximately 500 homes directly through the main water and sewer distribution system, and another 120 homes use private well water and have vault sewer tanks that are pumped and then dumped at the Morrison Creek wastewater treatment plant.
Romero said an upgrade of the wastewater plant cost approximately $8 million and will be completed in July.
“Current customers of Morrison Creek here at Stagecoach will not have to pay for any additional infrastructure needed for the other new developments,” Romero said. “The district would not be financing the developers. These new developments will not take any water resources away already allocated to the existing lots.”
Kris Rainsberger, president of Eagle Mountain Land Development that is behind Landaulet, said he has been planning the residential project for three years. He remains positive that his project will move forward, starting with infrastructure work this fall and construction of five single-family homes in the spring. Rainsberger said the homes are planned as 2,500-square-foot, solar-ready modular construction.
“It’s a perfect storm for everybody, and the water district out there needs upgrades anyway,” Rainsberger said. “Hopefully we can contribute our share. If they (the other developers) don’t start, we want to ensure our project’s success. So that’s still lines of conversation.”
With recent Routt County changes to high-density residential zoning in many areas, including Stagecoach, that became effective June 12, Rainsberger said he is planning rental apartments as part of the mix on nine acres located south of the reservoir and west of the fire substation off County Road 16.
“We are a local developer trying to meet the demands of local needs,” Rainsberger said.
If Stagecoach Mountain Ranch golf course and ski area move forward, his project could help provide workforce housing for new employees. Landaulet is proposed to feature four duplexes and 62 rental apartments divided into 13 two-story apartment buildings.
Romero said the Morrison Creek district plans to discourage outdoor irrigation of residential yards through a variety of measures, ranging from education about planting native grasses to higher prices for increased water use above a base level. If those steps are unsuccessful, outdoor irrigation could be limited to specific times of the day, which already applies in the greater Steamboat area.
Saltbox Custom Homes, the Edwards-based developers of the Tailwaters subdivision, did not return several phone and email requests for an interview. Romero noted Tailwaters proposes 200 residential units on 89 acres on the southeast side of Stagecoach Reservoir, east of County Road 18A, on land zoned high-density residential. The proposal includes a mix of single-family homes, live-work units, and a small bit of commercial.
