The city of Durango achieved a “big milestone” on Tuesday when City Council approved a Twin Buttes Housing Compliance Agreement that accommodates 30 affordable housing units at the former site of Animas High School, according to a city planner.
The agreement is between Twin Buttes of Durango, Inc. (TBDI) and the city.
The 30 units were made possible by the agreement, which says TBDI will donate 271 Twin Buttes Ave., the former site of Animas High School, to the city, which will in turn transfer ownership to Elevation Community Land Trust.
Modular homes builder Fading West of Buena Vista will develop the units.
The proposed units are mostly townhomes and some stand-alone units, said Mark Williams, city planner.
TBDI will improve the Lightner Creek Trail adjacent to the project site from a single dirt track as it exists now into a 10-foot concrete trail with connectivity to the city’s sidewalk network, Williams said.
The 30 for sale affordable housing units will target households earning between 70% and 120% of area median income and the first units are expected to be built in 2025.
Based on 2023 La Plata County area median income data, a four-person household could earn a minimum of $72,730 annually and still qualify for a home at the site if the units were available now. A two-person household could earn a minimum of $58,240 and be eligible to purchase a home in the proposed development.
Councilor Olivier Bosmans said he appreciates that trail work is included in the development and will be done before construction of homes is completed, saving retroactive trail work in the future.
Mayor Melissa Youssef said the housing compliance agreement is indeed a major milestone and the project helps the city “address the affordable housing crisis, ensures socioeconomic diversity in our community, supports workforce housing and retention, reduces commute time for our residents and it promotes stability for our residents.”
The housing compliance agreement also frees up development in the Twin Buttes subdivision, of which the southern border presses up against the former Animas High School site.
Williams said the housing compliance agreement has been a long time coming. It was approved in several stages between 2008 and 2011, but Great Recession economics prevented any vertical development.
Infrastructure was installed in the years following 2011, but the first house didn’t sell until 2017, he said. Progress has slowly gained speed in recent years and culminated in the agreement approved Tuesday night.
Existing housing in the Twin Buttes subdivision are single-family homes with townhouses and duplexes peppered in here and there, he said.
Development will occur in two phases, with phase 1 focusing on the western half of the Twin Buttes subdivision, and the second phase focused on the eastern half.
The agreement outlines a 1% Fair Share transfer fee the city will collect whenever a home in the development is sold, ensuring a long-term source of revenue for the city that can be applied to other uses such as affordable housing projects.
The city already applies 1% transfer fees to existing housing units in the Twin Buttes subdivision, Williams said.
Since 2017, the city has collected over $642,000 in transfer fees from home sales in Twin Buttes, he said.
He said TBDI projects transfer fees will be worth $40 million by the early 2050s as the number of houses increase and their values rise.
The agreement also contains a commitment from the city and TBDI to find a development partner.
cburney@durangoherald.com
