Michelle Petix raised her two daughters in the rural haven of Steamboat Springs, in northwestern Colorado, where they spent their childhoods skiing freely with friends or swimming in the river on balmy summer days.
“We lived off the grid, plowed our own road, built our home board by board,” Petix, 57, said of her family’s idyllic life in Routt County. “Tourism and ranching are truly a unique mixed vibe. We need a community to survive out in the rural areas.”
Tourism is the main driver of the local economy, powered by tens of thousands of visitors who come to “Ski Town USA” to hit the slopes, fly fish on local rivers, or attend the professional rodeo series held at the base of Colorado’s oldest public ski area, in operation since 1915.
Managing the influx of tourists while preserving the area’s ranching culture and history is a delicate balance. But Petix and others in the community fear that balance could soon be upended by a powerful real estate developer’s proposal to open a private luxury mountain resort for the ultra-rich just 20 miles down the road.
“I predict that after a lifetime of serving our community, we will be forced to move and drive out of here with empty mansions and a private ski resort in our rear-view mirror,” Petix, a non-profit consultant who moved to the town in the 1990s, told The Independent.
Steamboat Springs has an abundance of small-town charm. Every year since 1914, main street closes down to make way for a winter carnival, featuring competitions with local ranchers on horseback pulling kids behind on skis. Its small but mighty population of 13,000 has produced more winter Olympians than any other town in the U.S.
It was once a relatively affordable place to live, particularly compared to the glamorous, five-star ski resorts of Aspen and Vail, a few hours’ drive away.
But in recent years local teachers, firefighters, ranchers and families who have lived in the Steamboat area for decades have been priced out and affordable housing is in short supply. The pandemic is partly to blame after the area experienced an explosion of growth as more part-time residents took advantage of remote working and moved out of big cities.
Now, the median price of single-family home in Routt County is $1.4 million, a city council member told The Independent. It’s part of a broader trend of rising property prices in ski towns across western states, including Idaho’s Sun Valley, Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Utah’s Park City, and California’s Lake Tahoe.
The housing crisis in Steamboat Springs could deepen if Discovery Land Company—a globally renowned developer whose homes have been bought by the likes of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake, Tom Brady, and Bill Gates—is allowed to open its proposed Stagecoach Mountain Ranch, campaigners say.
The Independent spoke with dozens of residents who are divided over the ambitious project, as well as environmental groups, legal experts, and county officials. Those opposed fear the resort would change the fabric of the community forever, destroying its centuries old ranching culture, and becoming the latest wrecking ball to ways of life out West.
‘A playground for the super rich’
Stagecoach Mountain Ranch would consist of 613 luxury homes - 250 homes would have an average value of $8 million, local realtors estimated. The private 5,000-acre ski resort would have two gondolas, several communal ski mountain lodges with bars and restaurants, an equestrian center, spa, and indoor swimming pool. None of this, though, would be accessible to the locals unless they become members by purchasing one of the exclusive homes if Stagecoach is anything like Discovery’s Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana.
“Our thinking is that we are not going to be open to the public,” Discovery’s founding partner Ed Divita said at a Steamboat community meeting in 2024. “We are not Alterra. We are not Vail.”
While some residents support the plans and say the new resort will create revenue, jobs, and contribute towards improved roads, a new cell tower and upgrades to water and sewage plants, others are fiercely opposed.
“We will never be able to set foot there,” Petix’s 25-year-old daughter, Corey Petix, told The Independent. “It just does not reflect Colorado culture.”
“If history is any lesson for other Discovery Land projects, our valuations will sky rocket, and so will our tax bills,” Michelle Petix added. She believes that what could unfold in Steamboat Springs is “the Billionaire Wilderness effect happening in real time” that she fears will “destroy” the community.
Petix was referring Yale professor Justin Farrell’s book exploring the extreme wealth divide in the West, and featuring the Yellowstone Club, often cited by people in these parts as a cautionary tale. The club was opened in 1999 and has been managed by Discovery since 2009.
Farrell infiltrated the Yellowstone Club in 2020 to study the habits of the ultra-rich, and how their relationship with nature has driven some of the worst income inequality in the country. Some 50 to 80 of the club’s members are billionaires with “gold-plated references”, for whom the $500,000 refundable deposit and $78,000 annual membership, according to Forbes, is simply pocket change.
Yellowstone Club is one of more than 30 private communities Discovery has developed and operates worldwide. Other U.S. locations include Lake Tahoe, Austin, Nashville, Las Vegas, Kaua’i, and the Hamptons. It also has sprawling complexes in Dubai, Italy, Scotland, Costa Rica, Mexico, and multiple sites in the Caribbean.
“One of the concerns I hear most often from community members is the loss of our small-town culture,” Steamboat Springs City Council member Gail Garey told The Independent. “We are facing a housing crisis for our workforce with the median price of $1.4 million for a single-family home in Routt County,” Garey said, adding that she was not speaking on behalf of the entire council. “Families and 25 to 44 years olds are leaving at an alarming rate.”
Discovery submitted its Stagecoach proposal to Routt County in December 2024. The company is reported to be in partnership with the Wittemyer family, who is understood to own most of the land where the proposed resort will be built.
In a statement to The Independent, Discovery said it was “deeply committed to strengthening” Routt County’s economy through its Stagecoach Mountain Ranch project, touting job opportunities, “expanding affordable housing,” investing in “essential infrastructure, and prioritizing sustainability.”
The Wittemyer Group did not respond to a request for comment.
Over the last several months public comments shared with the county, who are ultimately responsible for signing off the project, show the concerns are wide-ranging. But the lack of affordable housing is one of the most prominent, according to The Independent’s review of submissions.
“We don’t need a playground for the super rich,” wrote Mary Ann and John Duffey, who have lived in Routt County for 30 years.
Resident Halie Cunningham called the plans “gluttonous” and “excessive.”
The county “can't figure out how to house the people who live and work here full-time and who actually contribute to the cultural fabric,” Cunningham added.
“It is an obscenity that a project is being designed for billionaires when affordable (or what I prefer to call obtainable) housing is unavailable in Routt County,” wrote John Chalstrom, the editor of a local newspaper.
Some residents aren’t taking issue with the rich but rather believe the mountain—which is privately owned—should be developed as a public resource. In 1978, the Wittemyer family acquired the mountain after its original owners went bankrupt trying to develop it into a ski resort. Previous attempts to transform it into a resort never came to fruition.
“It's not like Steamboat has no billionaires. We have plenty of them. We’re a resort community,” Liz Whitley, a campaigner with opposition group Save Stagecoach, told The Independent. “But it's way different than having an entire gated community with amenities like a ski area that are segregated from the public.”
A handful of the of submissions were supportive of Discovery’s project, with some pointing to the inevitability of change and growth, in addition to the company’s promise to deliver much needed infrastructure to the immediate areas.
“Our town thrives because every year more people recognize the same thing we all do: that this is a beautiful and special place,” wrote Noah Zedeck, 27. “It should not be in the spirit of our town or our values to drive them away.”
The Oak Creek Fire Board, which oversees all aspects of fire protection for the 278 square mile district, was also in support, and said the developer has “consistently” asked what the fire service needs to keep residents safe.
“The development’s impact fees and promised investments could finally fund modern fire stations, equipment and housing for firefighters that the district otherwise has no realistic way to afford,” the board said.
Discovery’s application is currently under review by the county. Multiple public hearings are expected in the coming months and county officials said it was too early to say when a final decision would be reached.
Alan Goldich, the county’s senior planner, told The Independent the project was “one of the biggest development proposals the county has ever seen.”
If approved, the project’s timeline suggests the resort will be fully functional within 3 to 5 years. Discovery estimates completed construction will take 15 years.
Discovery told The Independent it has “engaged extensively” with the community on the plans.
Toxic algae and ‘death by a thousand cuts’
Among the chief concerns is the project’s impact on local water quality and supply, which is under enormous strain. Stagecoach Mountain Ranch is adjacent to one of county’s main reservoirs, which is already an impaired water body due to high levels of pollutants that cause toxic algae blooms.
The development requires hundreds of new sewer connections which would “significantly increase” harmful nutrient levels at Stagecoach Reservoir, the Morrison Creek Metropolitan Water and Sanitation District warned. The reservoir feeds directly into the Yampa River, the last known major free-flowing tributary of the Colorado River that supplies roughly 20 percent of the state’s contribution to the system.
It is an obscenity that a project is being designed for billionaires when affordable housing is unavailable in Routt County
John Chalstrom, Routt County resident and editor of a local newspaper
The Colorado River is at a tipping point after experiencing severe drought conditions since 2000. It is now headed for “water bankruptcy,” experts warned recently, with some saying the outlook for its future was “exceedingly grim.” A lack of snowpack this winter and record-breaking heat in March has caused water levels to drop far below normal.
“The crisis on the Colorado River system has been called ‘death by a thousand cuts,’ and this is just another cut,” said Lindsey Marlow, executive director of the local organization Friends of the Yampa, which works to protect and enhance the health of the river. “We need to be thinking of ways to preserve and protect the water we have.”
Campaigners rang alarm bells at a meeting in August 2024 about the strain on already-scarce community resources and accused Discovery of “greedy growth.”
Conservation group Keep Routt Wild raised concerns about how developers would protect the area’s rich wildlife, particularly elk populations, and the sensitive habitats around the proposed resort. Conservationists warned the project could impact the survival of elk calves, and could “set a precedent of how wildlife and wildlife mitigation is treated in Routt County for years to come.”
Another conservation organization, the Sierra Club Trappers Lake Group, said it had looked “closely” at the county’s code and found that Discovery’s plans appeared “contrary” to the goals and values of the community set out there. Discovery said its application “fully complies” with the code.
In response to environmental concerns, Discovery said Stagecoach Mountain Ranch would consist of 2,653 acres of permanently conserved land, and more than 4,352 acres of its roughly 5,000 will “remain as open space.” The company also pledged “significant” investments aimed at improving water quality within Stagecoach Reservoir.
Resort would offer ‘unprecedented benefits’ to residents, company claims
Not everyone is opposed to the plans. Real estate agent and rancher Christy Belton said that rejecting the proposal won’t fix the area’s “affordable housing crisis.”
“Whether we like it or not, the people who can afford to live here have a lot of money,” she told The Independent. “We have to be smart about growth and if we try to shut it all down because we don't want change, I think we lose an opportunity for smart growth.”
“If it's not Discovery, it’s somebody else,” Belton said, and questioned whether those in opposition to the plans understood private property rights. “I would much rather have somebody who's reputable.”
Richard Pighini agreed in a public comment. “The county gets more property tax money, Stagecoach becomes a vibrant community, and the Discovery group makes money and helps us all live here,” Pighini wrote. “Let’s take this opportunity.”
“I very much hope residents are considering the incredible amount of money this would provide to our schools that is desperately needed,” added Jennifer Drummond.
Discovery maintains the project will offer “unprecedented benefits” and it will “honor both the people who call this region home and the natural environment that defines it.”
In addition, they touted property tax revenues that are projected to bring in about $29 million annually from the development, and 132 “affordable” housing units for employees, which exceeds the county’s requirement of 95 for a project of this scale.
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Yet given the scale of public opposition, Discovery could have a fight on its hands to get the green light. And then there's the specter of lawsuits: Discovery has faced legal action in connection with developments elsewhere in the world.
Once Routt County completes its review of Stagecoach Mountain Ranch, residents will have the opportunity to speak their minds at the next public meeting. The Petix family plans to be there.
“There's no respect. There's no understanding that nature is for everyone,” said Corey Petix. “The land needs to be protected and it's very clear that the people who are developing this have one interest in mind, and it is green, but it is not alive.”
