Durango’s population is growing at a healthy rate and as more people arrive the city expects some will live atop Farmington Hill, in the Animas Valley and in more multi-family developments.
If growth continues at about 2 percent a year or a little more, the city’s Comprehensive Plan update anticipates Durango’s population will increase from 18,500 to 31,500 people by 2040.
To prepare for the potential growth, city officials and advisory committees for months have discussed where new homes and businesses could be built. In 2007, the city anticipated most new housing would be on Ewing Mesa, but that is no longer an option because Marc Katz purchased the property and intends to build a music venue and other public spaces on the properties.
Work on the plan is coming to a close and the Durango City Council will likely approve it in April, ahead of the city election.
Advisory committee member Laura McKinney said there is just not a lot of land left for housing.
“We tried to look at every single option,” she said.
One proposal that drew skepticism from City Councilor Sweetie Marbury is the designation of an area previously called River Trails Ranch, northwest of Durango on East Animas Road (County Road 250), for hundreds of units. She questioned it because it was a highly unpopular idea about 15 years ago.
The advisory committee continues to back the proposal, with specific requirements.
“There is a multitude of solutions versus just saying no,” said Alma Evans, a member of the committee.
Before permitting development, the committee recommended improvements to East Animas Road ( County Road 250) to make it safer for everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians, city consultant Michael Lauer said.
The committee also would like to see a connection to the Animas River Trail, a Durango Transit stop and a mix of housing types, including some affordable housing.
On the city’s south side, U.S. Highway 550 is planned to be rerouted across the top of Farmington Hill through the Webb Ranch. The plan anticipates dense development in that area. The Three Springs area and property along La Posta Road (County Road 213) also are expected to have more development.
As Bodo Industrial Park fills, business are expected to open along La Posta Road.
More housing along north Main Avenue, Camino del Rio and other areas in town could be encouraged by setting a minimum height of two stories in some areas and by possibly allowing developers to exceed height restrictions in exchange for providing affordable or attainable housing, or meeting green building standards, or other factors.
“Let’s not give away height. Let’s let people earn it,” Lauer said in a recent meeting.
With more people will come more traffic congestion because there isn’t space for new thoroughfares through town, Lauer said.
Driverless cars and more frequent mass transit service could ease the problem, he said. But increasing transit service would require more funding.
Driverless cars could change the need for parking lots in town, especially if using driverless taxis becomes cheaper than owning a car.
Lauer urged participants at a recent meeting to think carefully about building a parking garage in downtown, something that’s been in the city’s wish list for a long time because of coming advances.
Managing the city’s water is another major consideration in the plan, and Lauer recommends the city pursue a new intergovernmental agreement with La Plata County that would govern areas the city is likely to annex in the future.
“The agreement, right now, does not facilitate rational extension of our water lines,” he said.
He said the intergovernmental agreement is dysfunctional because if the city cannot immediately provide water to a development that may be annexed, the city has a limited say in how an area develops.
The city does review projects that do not qualify for annexation or immediate water agreements, and they are required to meet transitional standards, such as ensuring a road is wide enough to someday be developed to city standards, Hall said.
It’s possible the city and the county might start revising the intergovernmental agreement in 2018, Hall said.
While growth and development probably will not unfold exactly as predicted, it’s important to consider all the options, Evans said.
“You don’t want to be surprised,” she said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
Poll: Where would you prefer to see growth in Durango?
Atop Farmington Hill - 286 - 17.89%
In-town infill development - 485 - 30.33%
Grandview - 828 - 51.78%
On the Net
To see draft maps and provide feedback on the plan, visit www.durangoplanupdate.org.
