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Board of Adjustments approves variance for Castro shed at 1000 Thornburg Street
Summary
The Steamboat Springs City Board of Adjustments unanimously approved a variance (PL20260072) on July 16 allowing a 240-square-foot shed to be sited 5 feet from the side and rear property lines instead of the required 10 feet. Staff cited steep topography and off-site drainage constraints and recommended approval with no conditions.
The Steamboat Springs City Board of Adjustments on July 16 unanimously approved a variance (PL20260072) allowing applicant Gabriel Castro to build a 240-square-foot shed at 1000 Thornburg Street with side and rear setbacks of 5 feet, rather than the 10-foot setback required by code.
Staff presented the project and recommended approval. Toby Stauffer, senior planner, told the board that steep topography and drainage coming onto the site from off-site properties limit usable locations for an accessory structure. "A shed of this size is not out of the ordinary for a residential property," Stauffer said, and staff concluded the request met the special-circumstances and least-modification standards and recommended approval with no conditions. Stauffer also said the city received one written public comment about drainage, provided to the board as a "rainbow" item prior to the meeting.
Applicant Gabriel Castro described efforts to follow the permitting process, thanked staff for assistance and said he and his wife made landscaping changes to manage drainage themselves. "My wife and I just wanted to go through the proper channels and do the right thing," Castro said. He told the board an inspector had previously advised him that drainage on the property was his responsibility.
A board member asked whether the project drawings reliably show the requested 5-foot setback; Stauffer said the drawings and visible site features (retaining wall and fence) indicate the shed will be 5 feet from the north (rear) and west (side) property lines. Ryan Spallstad, a board member, noted a separate requirement the applicant should expect: "If it's over a 120 square feet, you do have to get a building permit," he said, advising that additional permitting could be required even after the variance.
After brief supportive comments from members that the plan appeared appropriate for the constrained lot, a board member moved to approve project PL20260072 for the location at 1000 Thornburg Street. Ryan Spallstad seconded the motion. The chair called for a voice vote; all three members present voted "aye," and the motion passed.
The board then approved minutes from its April 16, 2026 meeting and adjourned. The variance approval does not replace separate building-permit requirements the applicant may still need to satisfy.
