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North Main

City’s Re:New grant program is helping local businesses create curb appeal

There are two ways of looking at North Main Avenue. Through the eyes of a local who has been riding along that stretch of Durango’s primary north-south corridor for years, or through those of a visitor, especially one who may be seeing it for the first time.

While it is broken up on the east by Durango High School, the fairgrounds and the Community Recreation Center, North Main comprises Durango’s strip mall.

Locals with another destination in mind tend to cruise through, thinking they have seen it all before. We hope visitors don’t do the same, but in stretches the street, from a “curb-appeal” perspective, doesn’t inspire folks to slow down and explore.

It is good to see that several local businesses are doing something about it, and they are taking advantage of the city’s Re:New grants to help them. So far the city has awarded a total of $35,000 in these grants, which must be matched by the recipient and used for property and façade improvements.

So far, the city estimates that the program has helped generate nearly $1.5 million in renovations on North Main.

One of the most dramatic facelifts can be seen at the Adventure Inn, in the 3500 block, which was formerly known as Knight’s Inn. Owner Nigel Peck is correct when he says the property “doesn’t remotely resemble what we started with.” A Re:New grant helped in the transformation.

A simple test will confirm Peck’s statement. Close your eyes for a moment and see if you can remember what the Knight’s Inn looked like. Or where it fit among the many motels and office buildings north of 32nd Street. If nothing comes to mind, visit the higher blocks of North Main and see it now.

The well-renamed lodging – with an attractive face and new roof – occupies a prime spot just south of Ski Barn, and just north of the Siesta Motel with its historic character and iconic saguaro cactus neon sign. It no longer fades into a background jumble of asphalt and glass.

One renovation and a small grant program ($5,000 per grant is the maximum) have not transformed all of North Main, but it is a start. It is one part of the larger plan to make the North Main Character District a more distinct, more attractive and more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. The city envisions several character districts in Durango, from North Main to Bodo and further south, with the goal of creating convenient access to a variety of businesses for residents in surrounding homes.

Bear in mind that major renovations are not always called for;. Small details can do wonders for curb appeal. The flames from the line of gas burners on the patio of Home Slice North, for example, look very appealing from the street on these chilly fall evenings.

We hope the city, through its Community Development Department, can continue the Re:New program for character district improvement in all sections of town. And for more work on North Main.

We look forward to days when we can visit the higher-numbered blocks of the thoroughfare and see the bland old North Main no more.



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