**Steamboat Springs, Colorado-July 22, 2026-**Steamboat Springs City Council approved a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation (SSRC) regarding the upcoming winter parking program during its July 21, 2026, meeting.
“We all recognize that there are many unknowns for the community around this program,” said Council President Steve Muntean. “With winter on the horizon, council is committed to addressing potential challenges proactively and focusing on the impacts within the city’s control.”
Over the past few months, in collaboration with SSRC, the city has worked to identify and minimize potential effects on winter transit service and in collaboration with SSRC, identified additional mitigation measures to include in the agreement
Under the one-year MOU, SSRC would contribute $200,000 to support additional Steamboat Springs Transit (SST) service during weekends and peak periods and expand the Yellow Zone in the Blue Sage, Highpoint and Brooklyn neighborhoods. These two areas were identified as having the greatest potential to minimize impacts and provide alternatives to driving. Additional transit will be targeted in areas that typically experience high volume, such as the Gondola Transit Center (GTC) and downtown.
The agreement could be renewed annually for up to two additional years and includes a provision allowing termination if the city, Routt County, or the State of Colorado places a lift-ticket, business, or occupational tax measure on the ballot.
While the funding will support the targeted expansion of transit service, city leaders recognize that it is unlikely to address every transportation challenge associated with the new program. Reducing single occupancy vehicles, encouraging shared rides, and advancing a sustainable, connected transportation system throughout the Yampa Valley remain shared community goals for both the city and SSRC. The agreement represents a renewed effort of collaboration between the city and SSRC to address community concerns.
Although SSRC is implementing additional measures to address program impacts, such as additional signage, free parking for uphill access before 9AM in the Gondola Square garage, and traffic coordination at the GTC, which the city helped to identify, those decisions and the ski resort’s parking policies ultimately rest with the resort and fall outside the city’s authority or this agreement.
As the season unfolds, both the city and SSRC are committed to working proactively to monitor conditions, evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation measures, and adjust as needed. In the spring, city staff will evaluate the impacts and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures to help inform future decisions and potential renewal of the agreement.
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Contact
Email Tom Leeson, City Manager, or call 970-879-2060
Email Kelly Romero-Heaney, Deputy City Manager, or call 970-871-8240
Email Michael Lane, Marketing & Communications Manager, or call 970-871-8220