Durango City Council recently approved a new subdivision where the River City Hall and Powerhouse properties are located, marking another check on the list ahead of a building trade with the Durango Fire Protection District.
City planner Daniel Murray said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the subdivision will divide the two lots into three.
He said the first lot, the site of a future downtown fire station, is where River City Hall sits and that the fire department will still occupy it. The fire department will also take ownership of the property. The Powerhouse will still occupy the second lot, which the city owns. A third lot created by the subdivision and located immediately to the west of River City Hall contains a portion of the Animas River Trail and will remain under city ownership.
Murray said an informal gated emergency access road situated parallel to the Animas River Trail will be formally designated as an emergency access route in the subdivision.
He said DFPD’s redevelopment of its downtown fire station, which includes elements like expanded public parking, a second story solar panel garden and other features revealed at a public meeting in July, is a separate project to the subdivision.
The subdivision itself is necessary to facilitate a building swap between the city and the fire department, which will transfer ownership of the former Durango School District 9-R administration building from the fire department to the city, and give DFPD ownership of the River City Hall site.
The city will also pay DFPD $3,586,275 to account for the higher value of the former administration building.
Mayor Melissa Youssef said the subdivision is another step forward toward a new downtown fire station, a project that has been years in the making.
“We are fostering growth and development in our community in a positive way after years and years of discussion, review and analysis of the various options,” Youssef said. “I would just reiterate that both the DFPD and the city of Durango, in addition to the majority of council after hearing from our community, recognized that this is very needed in our community for our commitment to safety, security and the prosperity of our community.”
The building swap also raises the need to name the access road from Camino del Rio to River City Hall and the Powerhouse.
The city initiated an online survey asking residents to provide feedback on what the road should be named. The survey closed on Wednesday.
cburney@durangoherald.com
