For more than 20 years, the city of Durango has been discussing – and attempting to address – the enduring shortage of affordable housing in the city. The first challenge in that effort is to define the term and determine the range of solutions available to meet the growing gap between the cost of housing and the resources those seeking it have to purchase or rent a home. In a renewed focus on the problem, the city of Durango is considering a range of policies that aim to boost the housing stock available to those who struggle to afford it – namely people whose income is less than 120 percent of the region’s median. The effort is far-reaching, much-needed and has the potential to meaningfully address a long-simmering problem in Durango.

The city’s planning staff is endeavoring to craft a comprehensive housing plan that will, when fully implemented, provide a major boost in the percentage of permanently affordable housing in the city – the current number is abysmally low at less then 4 percent of the total stock – ensure adequate rental and ownership units available to attract and retain the needed workforce for the area’s large employers, and increase the number of in-town commercial properties by emphasizing mixed use development. Getting there will require a multi-faceted approach to planning and development that encourages increased density in appropriate areas, seeks to leverage the state’s low-income housing tax credits that encourage developers to build affordable units and puts teeth in the city’s fair-share housing doctrine requiring builders to set aside a fixed percentage of units as affordable.

This work is informed by the city’s recognition of a demographic gap – there is a dearth of 25 to 35 year olds here – that belies an imbalance in the desired quality of life the city seeks to foster. The bar is high: In a perfect Durango, there would be an abundance of good, well-paying jobs, attainable and affordable housing, a clean environment and abundant cultural and recreational opportunities. While we have largely hit the mark on the latter two components, the first elements are out of balance – and while clearly related, are impossible to solve in tandem. The city, then, is right to invest in a housing policy that reinforces the goal of being an equitable and accessible community.

For the vision to materialize, however, will require a shift in how the city handles development – and how today’s residents respond to a changing landscape in Durango, prompted by anticipated and actual population growth. There are two ways to address such growth – through increased density or increased sprawl. Both have costs – financial, social, environmental, cultural – as well as benefits. In a community such as Durango, with a limited and high-cost land base as well as a concentrated city center, increasing density is the most sensible approach. Doing so will have impacts, though, and a lively community conversation is sure to preface any future projects proposed in line with the city’s emerging housing goals.

In a community where rentals dominate the housing market, affordability is elusive and land and jobs are limited, the city’s efforts to encourage inclusive development are both appropriate and essential. They will not produce a utopic outcome, but can help translate community values into brick-and-mortar results.