The city of Durango is considering what to do with Mason Center Park, a 2-acre piece of property on East Third Avenue in downtown Durango.
Ideas include maintaining it as green space, updating recreational amenities or allowing housing be built there. City councilors discussed the various options with staff members Tuesday during a work session. No final decisions have been made.
The Mason Center is located along East Third Avenue near 12th Street. It has tennis courts and the remnants of an old school gymnasium that is currently being used as city storage. In the past, the site has been a school. But more recently, it was used for parks and recreation activities, including gymnastics and Summer GameTime, although those activities have been discontinued at the site.
The city is determining if traditional recreational activities should remain the focus of the Mason Center or if the parkland should be put to a new and different use. City staff members pitched several ideas to councilors on Tuesday, including expanded park space but also the idea of turning the space into a lot for housing.
Councilors Olivier Bosmans, Jessika Buell and Melissa Youssef expressed the strongest interest in keeping the Mason Center as green space. Councilor Kim Baxter and Mayor Barbara Noseworthy proposed other possible uses, saying they want to explore all options.
As it stands, the Mason Center has about 4,000 square feet of gymnasium space remaining on the property. The 70-year-old school building that used to be there was demolished in May 2021. The parkland, zoned as public, is home to 92 trees of 23 varieties on the lot as well as adjacent medians and rights of way, according to a staff report presented to City Council.
The city could knock down the dilapidated gymnasium and replace it with parkland, including turf, an expanded playground, shade structures, an arboretum and restrooms.
Keeping the gymnasium would require renovations to return it to a functional state, according to city staff members. The level of renovations pursued would depend on the desired community use, according to the staff report. The renovation is expected to cost $1.6 million plus another $1.6 million for reconnecting sewer lines, site improvements and other expenses.
A renovated gym would accommodate the return of GameTime in addition to indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball and potentially pickleball, in addition to other activities such as fitness programs, according to the staff report.
Community organizations such as the Durango Creative District and the Gem and Mineral Club have already expressed interest in using a renovated indoor space at the Mason Center.
Baxter and Youssef said they are concerned about the costs of renovating the Mason Center gymnasium and hosting programs there.
Baxter said she wants to look at public-private partnership opportunities such as hosting a day care center or a restaurant or bringing back GameTime.
“How do we enhance it in an economical way that benefits our community?” she said.
She said in its current state, the Mason Center does not provide the public amenities that it could. It has a lot of potential such as a dog park, a kids’ environment or additional ball courts, for example.
Noseworthy said the city has an opportunity to partner or consider a partnership as it looks at the Mason Center’s future. She said she wants a better understanding of how the Mason Center could be used and wants the chance to explore those options.
Developing housing units at the Mason Center would certainly require the removal of the remaining gymnasium, staff members said.
Zoning challenges would also pose potential problems to any housing projects on the parkland. Because the Mason Center is in a public zone, only age-restricted residential use and senior congregate care housing are permitted.
The Mason Center lot also falls into a historic overlay zone, which means it is subject to stricter development standards. In addition, at least one neighborhood and public hearings conducted by the planning commission and City Council would be required to proceed with any plans, according to staff.
For housing types other than age-restricted residential use and senior congregate care housing, the lot would need to be rezoned, which would require an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan as well as public hearings and an ordinance for the specific proposed development to be passed by City Council.
With the addition of housing would come the loss of trees and park space, the staff report said. A preliminary concept included in the report showed three single-family lots and four duplex lots.
Noseworthy asked her fellow councilors if it is feasible to revert the Mason Center area to its former and original use as a school site. She said the city is in negotiations with Durango School District 9-R over the right to own Buckley Park, which the school district has valued at $3.7 million and currently leases to the city.
Bosmans said he thinks the Mason Center should be left as green space and park space and that he would like to see City Council take a more formal approach to “maintaining all park space and green space throughout our community unless it’s a very extreme situation.”
Buell said she wants to further explore bringing parks and recreation activities such as GameTime back to the Mason Center as well as expanding the park. The space doesn’t allow for the density needed to do a proper affordable housing project, she said. There are other opportunities for housing developments, she said, suggesting a piece of land on Holly Drive in northeast Durango as an example.
Youssef said she wants to remove housing from the Mason Center discussion completely.
She said the Mason Center is a historic area with “a huge amount of charm and a huge amount of character.” She said the lot adds to the community and she wants to preserve that by expanding the parkland.
cburney@durangoherald.com
