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Council denies rezoning at 600 Harms Court after neighbors urge preservation of Hilltop character
Summary
After extended public testimony from Hilltop residents and deliberation, council denied a request to change 600 Harms Court from manufactured-home zoning to RN-2, citing incompatibility with neighborhood character, height/massing concerns, and protection of naturally occurring affordable housing.
The Steamboat Springs City Council voted July 7 to deny a zone map amendment that would have changed 600 Harms Court from MH (manufactured-home) zoning to RN-2. The request was intended to permit an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and allow a larger building massing than current MH rules permit.
Staff explained the zoning change would allow an accessory dwelling unit and a larger permitted envelope; the applicant, represented by Adam Wright of Craft Architecture Studio, said the intent is to replace an aging single-family house with a modern home and an ADU for long-term ownership rather than subdivision. Owner Christopher McKee testified by video that he planned a single-family home with an ADU and said the proposed plan would leave most of the lot open.
Neighbors and multiple members of the Hilltop community urged denial. Longtime residents described the parcel’s history: the Hilltop Mobile Home Park was purchased and replatting in the early 2000s to create owner-occupied lots and preserve affordable options; speakers described the area as naturally occurring affordable housing (NOA) and warned that RN-2 would permit much larger homes, higher massing and increased height (RN-2 allows up to 40 ft overall height with an average plate-height standard) that would be out of scale with the Hilltop PUD and adjacent lots. Neighbors also raised operational concerns about the private Harms Court access easement and road maintenance if additional units were constructed.
Councilors reviewed the rezone criteria in the Community Development Code, particularly compatibility with surrounding zoning, land uses and neighborhood character. Several councilors said that because the property is accessed through the Hilltop subdivision and is physically part of that neighborhood, the request would change the character and scale in ways inconsistent with the plan. Council debated whether the potential benefit of a single ADU on the lot outweighed the long-term risk of upzoning.
Council took a motion to deny the RN-2 amendment. The council chair announced the motion passed 5–1. Council directed staff to reflect the decision in ordinance and communicate outcomes to neighbors.
The denial preserves the existing MH zoning for Lot 1 at 600 Harms Court; any future owner wishing to add an ADU or change allowed uses would need to pursue a different process such as a variance or subdivision proposal subject to separate review.
