Planning Commissioner wants to put focus on young families in campaign for Steamboat Council seat
- Dylan Anderson
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
David Box, who runs an HOA management company in town, says he is running for the open district three seat on City Council.
David Box says housing, taxation and transportation are three tough issues facing Steamboat Springs as he prepares a campaign for the open seat representing the city’s third district on City Council.
“Just a few easy ones,” Box joked in an interview with The Yampa Valley Bugle on Tuesday. “One can’t operate without the other, they are all intertwined.”
Box is not officially a candidate for the seat yet, as the city won’t release City Council Candidate Petitions until Aug. 5. All prospective candidates must get 25 signatures from registered electors in their district and return the petition by Aug. 25. Council member Dakotah McGinlay, who currently represents district three on Council, has said she doesn’t plan to pursue reelection.
Box, who currently serves as an alternate on the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission, said has always been very interested in how cities operate and spent time as the chair of the zoning and planning board when he lived in Texas. He his wife moved to Steamboat three years ago and recently opened the HOA management company, Rabbit Ears Management LLC.
“Really, service is number one,” Box said. “I have a huge service heart, as well as utilizing the experience I’ve gained in my professional experience to really make a difference on some topics that we have here.”
Growth is inevitable, Box said, and that growth needs to be managed in a way that maintains what makes Steamboat special. To Box, that is putting a stronger focus on younger people in town.
“We have to have young families. Young families need housing,” Box said. “The incomes and the ages of our city have only become higher and older. How do we meet that lower age and lower to middle income who can’t afford a house here?”
Box said it is an issue he knows well, as his daughter is a teacher at Sleeping Giant School. She can’t afford to buy housing here, but she wants to, he said. As for how to address housing, Box said it needs to be a combination of development within the city limits, as well as development west of town at the Yampa Valley Housing Authority’s Brown Ranch property.
“I do believe there is a solution out west with Brown Ranch. I think the solution has to be different from what was presented before,” Box said. “This is not a, we’re going to build 1,200 units on day one. No, it’s a much smaller number and then the Housing Authority has to reevaluate.”
The city’s role is controlling money for housing raised by the short-term rental tax, Box said. He said there could be other ways to use this funding that the city should explore, like subsidizing tap fees or other costs for developers working to add affordable housing.
Box also said he feels there needs to be a Brown Ranch related ballot issue proposed in 2026.
“There’s conversation now [about] can we even have a ballot issue in 2026?” Box said. “We have to.”
Turning to taxation, Box said he feels the city’s current effort toward proposing a vacancy tax is a good idea, but that he questions the execution. One concern is the overhead to run the program. As proposed, the city would need to add staff if a vacancy tax is approved, though those costs would be paid for by revenue from the tax. Enforcement is another worry.
“I don’t know how we enforce it in a consistent and equitable fashion,” Box said, adding that conversation about new revenue should be paired with a review of the city’s current expenses.
As for a property tax, Box said he is supportive of looking into it so they understand the options. Still, his concern is how a property tax would impact local businesses, who pay significantly higher property taxes due to Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights.
“Local businesses are already struggling, and we need to do everything we can to support our local businesses because they are part of our city’s character,” Box said. “But we should have the research and understand the implications.”
Box is the first candidate to announce an intention to run in district three. Council members Joella West and Steve Muntean have also announced their intention to seek another term on Council.
If you are planning on running for Steamboat Springs City Council, reach out to me at Dylan@YampaValleyBugle.com.