Host: City of Steamboat Springs
Region: Colorado
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Mitigation, Ecosystem / Habitat Conservation / Biodiversity Protection, Energy Efficiency, Transportation / Mobility, Urban Planning, Waste Management, Water Policy
Skills Needed: Project Management, Research, Community Outreach, Technical Writing,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid – As noted, many city staff (including site supervisor) are currently on a hybrid schedule. The Fellow may be remote most of the time, and on-site approximately one week per month. Note that we are a VERY high-cost housing market.

Service Needs & Plans

The Furthering Climate Action project will directly build and enhance the City of Steamboat Springs‘ capacity, as well as the capacity of the Routt County Climate Action Collaborative. The Collaborative Board includes local governments (City/Towns/County: Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Oak Creek, Yampa, and Routt County), as well as critical stakeholders (i.e., Yampa Valley Electric Association, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation, etc.).

The project will advance the City’s “backlog” of initiatives designed to codify climate action in City codes and policies, most notably amendments to the City’s Community Development Code. The project will also continue our education and outreach efforts to engage and inform businesses, Homeowners Associations, service providers, stakeholders, and the broader public – with an emphasis on outreach to mono-lingual Spanish speakers – on the City’s evolving and expanding portfolio of climate-related codes, ordinances, policies, and programs (carryout bag fee, EV readiness, mandatory community recycling, waste diversion, revised development standards focused on water conservation and wildfire mitigation, etc.).

The project anticipates contributions to each of the five sectors identified for action in the Climate Action Plan: Economy, Energy, Land Use, Transportation, and Waste.

Project Description

The project has two primary goals related to new deliverables. The first goal is to expand the capacity of City staff to advance Climate Action Plan recommendations (and associated plans and or reports) – essentially moving from high-level recommendations that guide the priorities of the entire Collaborative to specific and discrete adjustments to City codes. The project will also ensure vertical consistency and integration within city codes and policies that have been advanced since the City’s adoption of the Climate Action Plan (July 2021) – i.e., aligning requirements in Community Development Code that apply to future commercial and multi-family development with recently revised recycling requirements in the City’s Municipal Code to produce desired outcomes, such as adequate space for collecting recyclables. The project will also codify recommendations from the the City-led Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan. The City’s Planning and Community Development Department has catalogued the “backlog” of climate-related code amendments, but simply does not have the capacity to pursue those amendments at the desired pace.

A second goal is also related to furthering alignment between locally and regionally adopted climate action goals and recommendations with City-specific codes, plans, and programs. The City of Steamboat Springs is currently pursuing a long overdue rewrite of the Steamboat Springs Area Community Plan – last adopted in 2004. The project will identify opportunities to align the city’s comprehensive plan with the climate action goals established in the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The City has recently invested in its capacity to produce long-range plans and policy, but requires additional capacity to pursue a comprehensive plan that meets community expectations and needs.

The Fellow will be directly involved in each of the priority capacity building efforts noted above. The exact contributions will be determined based on the Fellow’s skillsets and interests. The City’s assumption at the time of application submittal is that for each code update the Fellow will produce a similar set of activities and deliverables to inform staff’s recommendation of associated amendments. The activities are likely to include further inquiry into the CAP recommendations (e.g., interviews with CAP Working Group members), developing case studies that document best practices, and presenting coding alternatives to staff, etc.

Similarly, the City anticipates the Fellow will join the Steamboat Springs Area Community Plan (SSACP) update team and work directly with the SSACP Project Manager (Brad Calvert), who will also serve as the Fellow’s supervisor. City staff is currently working with a joint city-county committee to create a draft plan for public review by December 31, 2024. The new SSACP will build on the analyses and recommendations of more contemporary community-wide planning processes (most notably the Climate Action Plan), while also seeking SSACP-specific public input to inform the plan.

The City anticipates Fellow contributions to other efforts and projects as well – notably continued education, engagement, and outreach efforts associated with our climate action portfolio. Additionally, we anticipate the Fellow will support (and potentially lead) the continued development of the City’s climate action reporting framework.

The City’s capacity, and therefore our progress toward actions that reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible, will be increased simply by having a resource dedicated to this work program. To date, climate action activities have largely been added to individual and team work programs that are at/over capacity.

Desired Skills

• Gathering, interpreting, and preparing data for studies, reports, and recommendations; coordinating department activities with other departments and agencies as needed – particularly as it relates to cross-departmental climate initiatives.
• Assisting planning staff with public engagement in planning process and policy considerations.
• Assisting in the preparation of a variety of studies, reports, and related information for decision-making purposes.
• Conducting technical research studies and preparing statistical reports and recommendations for drafting or revising local legislation and long-range comprehensive plans, projecting trends, monitoring socio-economic data, etc.
• Assisting in the preparation of planning reports and supporting data including the preparation of presentations for the public, elected and appointed bodies as well as City staff and management under supervision of the Principal Planner.
• Basic and/or interest in growing knowledge of municipal government, planning, and regulatory functions – zoning regulations and general land use development standards.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with staff, planners, climate and sustainability stakeholders, development community, and the general public.
• Knowledge of and general skill in using common computer programs including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Working knowledge of GIS applications and the Adobe Creative Suite desirable. Experience with online meeting and collaboration platforms (Teams, Zoom, etc.).

Organization & Workplace Highlights

Steamboat Springs is a beautiful, authentic mountain town that offers Western hospitality and amazing year-round fun. We are a top resort destination for people all over the world, but living here is even better.

The city proudly serves a diverse community of approximately 13,000 people in all facets of life, work, and recreation in our natural environment. Each day, a devoted city workforce of approximately 250 full-time and seasonal employees come together to ensure the needs of the community are met through exemplary municipal service.

Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity and experiences drives us forward every day. It’s the collective sum of our experiences that makes Steamboat Springs and the Yampa Valley a powerful, insightful and welcoming community.

Note on workplace environment: The City’s civic campus located in historic downtown Steamboat Springs is currently being transformed. City Hall was recently demolished and a new Fire Station and City Hall will transform two city blocks into a civic campus serving the community for decades to come. During construction, some staff are working remotely and/or using hoteling work stations provided at Centennial Hall. We currently anticipate our new City Hall (where Planning Dept will be located) will open in November 2024.

Community Highlights

At 6,700’ in the Rocky Mountains, this northwest Colorado community is home to year-round recreation, a historic downtown, vibrant businesses, active arts and culture, unique events, celebrated mineral springs, outstanding educational opportunities, and an 80-year Olympian tradition. All with the free-flowing Yampa River running right through the heart of it all.

City’s Vision (from Strategic Plan adopted July 2023): We are an innovative and inclusive organization strategically providing outstanding municipal services.

City’s Mission (from Strategic Plan adopted July 2023): Proudly serving our community with excellence and distinction.

City Values (examples from Strategic Plan adopted July 2023):

1. Respect: We value everyone and treat people with dignity and professionalism.
2. Teamwork: We work together with colleagues, citizens, customers and partners with open communication and accountability.
3. Well-Being: We do meaningful work and improve quality of life by promoting work-life balance, health and wellness.