A mixed-use building on Escalante Drive was approved by the Durango City Council Tuesday.

Jerry and Karen Zink are proposing the three-story building that will house retail, restaurant and meeting space, as well as condos.

“I think this is an excellent example of what mixed-use should be,” Councilor Sweetie Marbury said.

The Zinks hope the building will become a community hub, in the same way that Bread is a hub for the north end of town, architect Lauren Jackson said.

“We think this is going to be a new hot spot, a new important site for the city,” she said.

The building will be 43,000 square feet, which is smaller than the 57,361 square feet that was proposed earlier, Jerry Zink said in an interview.

As a result of talks with neighbors, the Zinks adjusted the design of the building. For example, the building will be set back further from the back property line and more windows were added, Jackson said.

The project is set to break ground in May, Zink said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com