Salida - the heart, soul and seat of Chaffee County - anchors the Upper Arkansas River Valley in central Colorado. Although flanked by majestic 14,000-foot snow capped peaks, at just over 7,000 feet in elevation, Salida enjoys a surprisingly mild climate that some refer to as the Banana Belt. Settle into Salida and its relaxed pace, hometown ways and world-class recreational opportunities and you may never want to leave home. But if you do, Salida is perfectly situated for those who want to be in close proximity to the more urban amenities afforded by Colorado's Front Range communities.

City Seeks Local Applicants for New City Administrator Click here for more information.

The Mayor and Council members of the City of Salida accepted the resignation of City Administrator Steve Golnar during a special meeting of the Council held on April 24th. The Mayor and members of Council expressed their appreciation for Mr. Golnar's service to the City. Effective immediately, Finance Director Jan Schmidt was named Acting City Administrator. A search committee is being formed to identify and evaluate candidates for Mr. Golnar's replacement. Applications for the position will be accepted until May 13th. Please visit visit the City's Jobs page for more information.
Press Release Regarding Administrator Resignation

City Council Agenda and Upcoming Meetings Click here for more information.

The next regular meeting of the City Council will be Monday, May 5, 2008. Click here for the May 5 Agenda. Click here for the May 5 Packet (4.0 MB PDF).

In addition, the City Clerk regularly provides a Public Posting of upcoming work sessions and special meetings.

Schedule of regular meetings for City Council, Board of Adjustment, Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Commission. 2008 Meeting Dates (89 KB PDF Format).

Hwy 50 Enhancement Project - Request for Proposals Click here for more information.

The City of Salida is soliciting proposals from CDOT Pre-qualified consultants/professional engineers to complete design of the U.S. Highway 50 Enhancement Project, including 4 blocks of streetscape improvements. The project includes the installation of six foot wide, concrete sidewalks, the installation of four foot wide, stamped colored concrete parkways, installation of pedestrian/street streetlight standards and banner brackets, removal of existing non-conforming curb cuts and installation of curb and gutter to replace non-conforming curb cuts.

The complete guidelines and requirements for this proposal will be posted on our website at www.cityofsalida.com and will also be available at City of Salida, City Hall.

NOTE: For all agreements that include final design services, consultants, and their sub consultants having more than a 20% share in the final design portion of the contract, shall not be able to compete for construction engineering services on the same job for which they are providing final design services.

The UDBE goal for this contract is zero percent.

Eight copies of the Response to this Proposal must be received by 4:00 p.m. on May 21, 2008 at the office of the City Administrator, City of Salida, 124 E. Street, Salida, CO, 81201. Any questions regarding the Request for Proposal should be directed to Kristi Jefferson, Planning Technician, at the above address, (719)539-4555 (telephone), or by email at planning@cityofsalida.com.

  • RFP Section 1 - Advertisement
  • RFP Section 2 - Key Event Schedule
  • RFP Section 3 - Statement of Interest and Work Plan Preparation Instructions
  • RFP Section 4 - Scope of Work
  • RFP Section 5 - Consultant Evaluation
  • RFP Section 6 - Attachments
  • City of Salida Highway Corridor Improvement Plan

    • City Council authorizes the sale of Vandaveer Ranch Click here for more information.

    The City of Salida has been in negotiations with Courageux Development, LLC since September, 2007 for the sale of the Vandaveer Ranch. On Monday, March 17th the City Council directed the Mayor to sign the purchase and sale agreement for this sale. Click the links below to view the purchase and sale agreement or any of the exhibits to the agreement. More information about the history of this project is available on the vandaveer webpage.

  • Purchase and Sale Agreement
  • Exhibit A - Legal Description
  • Exhibit B - Water Supply Addendum
  • Exhibit C - Addendum to Purchase and Sale Agreement
  • Exhibit D - Overall Development Plan
  • Exhibit E - Form of RETA Covenant
  • Exhibit F - Form of Development Fee Covenant
  • Exhibit G - Mobile Home Residential Lease
  • Exhibit H - June 29, 2007 Development Proposal

    • Design Overlay for neighborhood east of downtown Click here for more information.

    Residents and property owners in the neighborhood east of downtown are concerned about maintaining the character of the neighborhood as the area gains popularity and further development becomes more likely. Marilyn Moore and Kathryn Hardgrave have sent out a number of mailings to residents and hosted several neighborhood meetings on the topic. Based on feedback from the neighborhood, staff has assisted Marilyn and Kathryn in drafting some possible design guidelines for the neighborhood. These guidelines could be adopted by the City as part of a zoning overlay for this neighborhood. The Planning Commission will be considering the proposed guidelines on Tuesday, May 27th at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 125 E. Third Street. During their April 28th meeting they reviewed the guidelines and remanded the application back to the applicants for additional changes.

    Click here to view the DRAFT Design Guidelines. Please contact Marilyn Moore, 539-9195, jaymoore@aol.com or Kathryn Hardgrave, 539-7262, casavieja@amigo.net with questions or comments about these efforts. You may also contact Dara MacDonald, City Planner at dmacdonald@cityofsalida.com.

    History of the Region
    Salida is the county seat of Chaffee County and its largest city, with a population of 5,504 in 2000. The city is the service, supply, and tourism center for the Upper Arkansas Valley. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad bypassed the existing settlement of Cleora to establish Salida in 1880. Salida became a major division point for the D&RG, which erected extensive railroad facilities north of the commercial district on the opposite bank of the Arkansas River. The city developed quickly, and became the hub of a prosperous mining and agricultural region within a decade of its founding. Salida experienced devastating fires in its business district in 1886 and 1888, but rebounded to build a substantial commercial area consisting principally of two-story brick buildings. Railroad activity began to decline in the 1950s and, in 1971, Salida ceased to be a division point for the D&RG. Tourism, recreation, and arts-related enterprises grew in importance during the second half of the twentieth century. It is within this historic context that Downtown Salida's architectural heritage emerged. For more information on Salida's history or the Salida Downtown National Register, visit www.cityofsalida.com/history.html

    Credits for the Website:

    The creation of this website was supported by the City of Salida and the Community Technical Assistance Program, an office of CSU Cooperative Extension funded by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

    Our special thanks go to Jacque Griffin, Adams State College Student and Salida website designer/builder; and to Stevie Rose, City of Salida Intern.

    © Copyright 2003 ~ 2006, City of Salida