Durango planning commissioners unanimously approved a deck expansion Monday that will allow 11th Street Station, a food truck collective on Main Avenue, to expand its seating.
The commission’s decision was the final public vote on the new deck that could be built by early summer, owner Marcos Wisner said.
The covered deck would extend behind the building west to Narrow Gauge Avenue over storage containers and parking spaces.
Commissioners and several of the neighbors of the businesses praised the food truck collective, bar and coffee shop, which opened in October.
“I just am really excited. I think what you have done is a terrific contribution to the community,” Commissioner Geoff Hickcox said.
The corner is home to seven businesses, and the operation has run out of seating at times, said Beau Lindborg, chef at Backcountry Gourmet, a food truck. But recent snowstorms demonstrated how important the new seating will be to make the most of the summer season.
“We are going to rely on the summer months to be as busy as we can, so we can make it through the rest of the year,” Lindborg said.
The new deck will be lit with strings of LED lights and allow 11th Street Station to host community events.
Commissioners raised several concerns about the snow falling from the covered deck onto neighboring property and required owners to take steps to mitigate snow accumulation on adjacent property. The board members discussed requiring specific measures such as snow guards, heat tape and gutters, but decided to keep their requirements general.
Kogan Builders was the only neighboring business to oppose the expansion – explaining in a letter that the deck would be just feet from the construction company’s office windows and cause distractions.
“To have crowds of people directly outside our office windows drinking and carrying on conversations would cause undue hardship on our business,” Scott Smith said in a letter to the city.
However, no one from Kogan Builders spoke during the Durango Planning Commission meeting.
To address Kogan Builder’s concerns, the commission required the owners of 11th Street Station to put in a wall to insulate the office from the noise. Representatives from 11th Street Station must also meet with the construction company to discuss the wall.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
