La Plata County planning commissioners Thursday approved a conceptual plan for 14 new homes about 1 mile west of Bayfield, north of U.S. Highway 160.

The property is part of the Heartwood Ranch subdivision, which has 24 existing homes. As part of Phase 2 of the neighborhood, developers proposed 14 additional homes, as well as three farm houses.

About 350 acres of the 360-acre property will be dedicated to open space, county records show.

Planning commissioners approved the conceptual design plan, but developers still need to get approval for more specific construction plans.

No one spoke during a public comment period for the project.

Lake Durango Water Authority brought its plan before planning commissioners for a proposed solar energy project to generate power for pumping water.

The property is located west of Durango, off U.S. Highway 160, at 667 South Lakeside Drive.

Lake Durango Water Authority is proposing to build a 95-kilowatt solar array – 20 kilowatts of which would be located on top of the existing utility building, with the other 75 kilowatts on a south-facing slope, northwest of the building.

John Shaw, owner of Shaw Solar, said the energy generated would go to water pumping La Plata Water Authority uses for domestic water for the nearby subdivision.

He said the property is located in a low spot, so the project won’t be visible to nearby homes and it won’t cause reflection problems.

No one spoke during a public comment period for the project.

La Plata County planning commissioners approved the project in a “location and extent review,” a process in which the county has the opportunity to review and provide comment but ultimately has no authority to attach conditions to the project.

jromeo@durangoherald.com