By Matt Stensland Sunday, May 7, 2006.
Originally Published in the Steamboat Pilot & Today. www.steamboatpilot.com
(download PDF version)

Work on a "live-work" development along the Yampa River on the west side of town has begun.

Riverfront Park is being built along the Yampa River east of the James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge.

Designers envision large, flexible work and office spaces and comfortable trendy living quarters for workers to retire to at the end of the day.

Riverfront Park will feature three residential pods along the river with seven units in each. There also will be two large buildings with about 45,000 square feet of warehouse, showroom and office space.

About half of that space was leased before construction, said Yampa River Realty broker Michael Buckley, who is handling sales. The first of the two large buildings is being constructed along Shield Drive and should be completed in about six months, Buckley said.

The first pod with residential units has been sold. All the buyers are locals, Buckley said. About 1,500 square feet of light industrial or commercial space is underneath the residential units. The space features 15-foot ceilings with 12-foot-high cargo garage doors.

The space above the commercial units can be configured as two-or three-bedroom units. Large floor-to-ceiling windows will be on the river side of the units to shed light into the great rooms with a door leading to a patio.

Pre-construction pricing of the second group of seven residential units ranges from $560,000 to $970,000.

A few of the most striking design features are the multi-angled rooflines and solid-colored mountain peak silhouettes on the first level exterior. In keeping with the industrial theme, interior high-end finishes will include steel, hardwood floors and possibly cement countertops, Buckley said. The workspace below will have drywall and basic fixtures, but owners will be able to customize the space to their needs, he said.

The development likely will take two years to complete, Buckley said.

High Mountain Sotheby’s, 708 Lincoln Ave, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 PH/970.846.5943 Email/ryan.stafford@sothebysrealty.com Ryan Stafford, Realtor/Editor

Editors Note:
Since the early morning hours of March 1st every year the dedicated converge on Dinosaur Colorado. They are not coming to find fossils but instead play the lottery. The lottery is for the remainder of the river permits that are available for the upcoming boating season on the Green and Yampa Rivers. Eight of us from Steamboat went and we drew #2 and #8. Not bad considering there were 80 people there trying the same thing. With the #2 pick we selected a launch date of May 7 on the Yampa. I cannot put into words what these trips are like only that if you get the chance to go, drop everything and do it. So if you’re looking for me between May 7 and 12 I will be on the Rio.