Yampa Valley Independent: Steamboat, Hayden & Oak Creek News

Government

Hotels in two downtown Steamboat districts could rise from 28 to 38 feet under code change headed to council

Aerial view of downtown Steamboat Springs: a main street lined with low commercial buildings runs toward forested mountains, with a river at right.

Steamboat's Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend letting hotels in two downtown districts rise to 38 feet and to stop counting wrapped parking garages against building size. City Council is tentatively set to take it up Dec. 1.

Environment & Outdoors

Steamboat's dry spell breaks this weekend, with a second storm possible before opening day

Government

Steamboat's 911 talks with Routt County "broke down," city attorney says, as the city's estimated dispatch bill climbs toward $1 million

Government

Consultants doubt Slate Creek can make the 2027 ballot. Leaders say: Try anyway.

Latest

The flag of the United States: 13 red and white stripes and 50 white stars on a blue field.

News

Veterans make up a smaller, older slice of Routt County than of Colorado, census figures show

News

Breaking News: Officers detain man outside Steamboat City Market; vest patch points to ICE

More than a dozen disposable vapes in bright colors, including pink, green, red, orange and purple, lie scattered on a light blue background, seen from above.

Government

Routt County Public Health lays out options for licensing tobacco sellers, citing teens' easy access to vapes

An open gray metal file drawer packed with yellowed index cards and tabbed dividers, in a bank of labeled filing cabinets.

Government

Steamboat set to raise the price of government transparency by 38%

Steamboat Resort's ski runs under thin early snow on Nov. 4, 2026, with the text: Colorado's top income tax rate, 4.4% to 8.4%, 30th to 10th of 51 for top earners, from 2027

Government

Colorado's top income tax rate jumps from Utah's level into the top 10 with New York

Photo of a fenced, graveled lot with posted permits and a construction company's banner, under the words Seven months to a final hearing.

Government

Seven months from first meeting to final hearing: Inside Steamboat's development review

All stories

By topic

Housing

Graphic: $48 million in. No set offer for builders. Nearly four years after voters approved Steamboat's short-term rental tax, the city still weighs proposals one at a time.

No defined terms for developers, just pitches: Nearly 4 years in, applicants seek Steamboat's $48 million housing tax one idea at a time

Lodging taxes for roads, safety and housing fall short in Routt County and slide in Steamboat

Housing authority seeks a hired developer for Hillside Village rehab; its own staff review rates development among its two lowest-scoring areas

More Housing

Government

Opening lines of the Town of Yampa's Performance Improvement Plan for administrator Charles "Chuck" Reid: issued Nov. 2, 2026, 30 days, mid-point review Nov. 16.

Turmoil at Yampa Town Hall: New administrator sent home on paid leave; trustee's removal hearing put off

Hayden rezoned 73 acres for a 400-megawatt battery plant. Here's what the town was told.

Routt County seeks $625,000 more for deficient Moon Hill Bridge, backs all-electric fix for Annex cooling

More Government

Environment & Outdoors

Steamboat Resort on a cloudy Nov. 4, 2026: snow on the upper mountain and on a few runs along a lift line, with brown, bare lower slopes and leafless aspens below.

San Juan snow sites set early-November records; Steamboat's snowpack is just beginning

Buffalo Pass nears November with no snowpack after a fall of above-freezing storms

A county weed list, written for ranch country, is about to govern every yard in Steamboat. The expected fix is chemical spraying.

More Environment & Outdoors

Events

What's Happening in Steamboat, Hayden & Oak Creek

Concerts, shows, races, holiday events and fundraisers around the Yampa Valley, checked against organizers' websites and updated twice a week.

See the full calendar

Guides

Practical guides to the Yampa Valley, kept up to date and checked with the people who run the places we list.

The Kids Guide: the Yampa Valley Independent's guide to child care, camps, playgrounds, parties and things to do in Steamboat Springs, Hayden and South Routt, with icons over a river map

The Kids Guide: Child Care, Camps, Playgrounds & Things to Do in the Yampa Valley

Child care and preschools, babysitters, playgrounds, camps and ski programs, kid-friendly places to eat, birthday parties, toy stores, libraries and the bookstore in Steamboat Springs, Hayden and South Routt, with hours, prices and what's on, each checked against a named source.

Happy Hours & Mud Season Deals: the Yampa Valley Independent's guide for Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Oak Creek, over a topographic map of the Steamboat area

Steamboat Happy Hours & Mud Season Deals

Where to find happy hours, locals’ deals and who’s open in Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Oak Creek, updated as restaurants tell us.

The Health Guide: the Yampa Valley Independent's guide to yoga, gyms, hot springs, spas and massage in Steamboat Springs and Hayden, over a map of the Yampa and Elk rivers

The Health Guide: Yoga, Fitness, Spas & Massage in Steamboat & Hayden

Yoga and Pilates studios, gyms and the climbing gym, hot springs and saunas, day spas and massage in Steamboat Springs and Hayden, with hours, prices and who's open now, checked against official sources.

All guides

Yampa Valley Independent

Hotels in two downtown Steamboat districts could rise from 28 to 38 feet under code change headed to council

Steamboat's dry spell breaks this weekend, with a second storm possible before opening day

Steamboat's 911 talks with Routt County "broke down," city attorney says, as the city's estimated dispatch bill climbs toward $1 million

Consultants doubt Slate Creek can make the 2027 ballot. Leaders say: Try anyway.

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Latest

Veterans make up a smaller, older slice of Routt County than of Colorado, census figures show

Breaking News: Officers detain man outside Steamboat City Market; vest patch points to ICE

Routt County Public Health lays out options for licensing tobacco sellers, citing teens' easy access to vapes

Steamboat set to raise the price of government transparency by 38%

Colorado's top income tax rate jumps from Utah's level into the top 10 with New York

Seven months from first meeting to final hearing: Inside Steamboat's development review

By topic

Housing

No defined terms for developers, just pitches: Nearly 4 years in, applicants seek Steamboat's $48 million housing tax one idea at a time

Lodging taxes for roads, safety and housing fall short in Routt County and slide in Steamboat

Housing authority seeks a hired developer for Hillside Village rehab; its own staff review rates development among its two lowest-scoring areas

Government

Turmoil at Yampa Town Hall: New administrator sent home on paid leave; trustee's removal hearing put off

Hayden rezoned 73 acres for a 400-megawatt battery plant. Here's what the town was told.

Routt County seeks $625,000 more for deficient Moon Hill Bridge, backs all-electric fix for Annex cooling

Environment & Outdoors

San Juan snow sites set early-November records; Steamboat's snowpack is just beginning

Buffalo Pass nears November with no snowpack after a fall of above-freezing storms

A county weed list, written for ranch country, is about to govern every yard in Steamboat. The expected fix is chemical spraying.

Events

What's Happening in Steamboat, Hayden & Oak Creek

Coming up

Guides

The Kids Guide: Child Care, Camps, Playgrounds & Things to Do in the Yampa Valley

Steamboat Happy Hours & Mud Season Deals

The Health Guide: Yoga, Fitness, Spas & Massage in Steamboat & Hayden