Industry News
Stagecoach Mountain Ranch (SMR) is a planned concept to resurrect a ski area that ceased operations 50 years ago into a private ski and golf resort 25 minutes from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Discovery Land Company, which developed the Yellowstone Club, another private resort in Montana, is behind the plan. SMR is being compared to the Yellowstone Club due to its exclusivity and luxury offerings.
Discovery Land Company is now advancing its plans for SMR by following the model of its other developments. The project will feature a private country club with high-end amenities, including a world-class golf course by Stagecoach Reservoir, a private ski area, and access to prime fishing spots along the Yampa River.
As with other Discovery Land communities, property ownership at Stagecoach Mountain Ranch will likely be required to gain membership access to these amenities. Known for creating exclusive, fun, and social environments, Discovery Land Company has built a reputation for delivering exceptional experiences and valuable networking opportunities at its developments.
SMR is close to filing its formal development application either this month or in November. It originally planned to submit the application in the Spring of 2024, but Routt County needed more time to complete updates to its master plan and development guidelines. Updates to the plan include maximum home sizes, how far the homes have to be away from the golf course greens and tees, as well as a gondola instead of the originally planned chairlift.
Discovery had planned to install a new high-speed Doppelmayr gondola starting on July 1, 2024, with completion expected by November, but the project has been delayed until 2025. It had even booked rental condos for its work crews, and construction was set to proceed based on entitlements from the original Stagecoach Ski area. However, Routt County Planning pointed out that the gondola differed from the originally approved chairlift, and the route had been slightly altered. SMR is not taking any shortcuts as they will install the same type of 10-person high-speed gondola as the new Wild Blue Gondola at Steamboat Resort.
Full development of the resort is estimated to take three to five years with some of the homes also built during that time. This will help bring the county tax revenue that will be lost from the coal mines and power plants that are closing in the area by 2030 or possibly sooner. It is expected that 700 residences will be built, which is a decrease from the 800 that were planned in the 2023 submission and much less than past entitlements allowing 3,000 residences. Additionally, for homes on the golf course, the county decided they had to be 225 feet from the greens and fairways and 100 feet from tee boxes.
The residences will be split between the ski mountain and golf course, with the majority of homes planned for the ski area (~80%). Routt County has established a 7,500-square-foot limit on home sizes, with one notable exception for homes built in Land Preservation Subdivisions. Starting January 1, 2025, these homes can exceed the size limit if they comply with the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Building standards. It is expected that the single-family home lots will start at over $3 million, with the average value of a completed home being around $8 million.
With these modifications, the project hopes to keep momentum when it files the formal development application. The modified plans will provide less dense housing, a more desired gondola over the chairlift, and maintain Discovery’s reputation for first class, luxury resorts.
