We are disappointed, on more than one level, that Steamboat Springs City Council decided against appealing Judge Shelley Hill’s recent ruling reversing the city’s approval of a 60-unit apartment building at 1125 Lincoln Ave. in the heart of the downtown commercial district.

Now that the “case is closed,” we feel more strongly than before that it’s urgent for city officials to move forward with speed and determination to pursue a re-write of its development codes that pertain to the downtown commercial district.

The city needs a code update to match the community’s shared vision for a vibrant downtown that honors significant historic buildings while allowing for 21st-century structures that meet our needs and vision.

We have previously editorialized in favor of the 1125 Lincoln Ave. project, including the necessary code “variances,” including building height, density on the site, as well as forgiving the requirement for setback on the upper level of the structure.

Read more at Steamboat Today.