Many Durango residents were excited to learn in June the city intends to build a new home for Tri-County Head Start in a scarcely used parking lot next to the Durango Public Library.
Additionally, the city announced plans to build a couple dozen workforce housing units where Head Start currently stands at 2019 East Third Ave. not far from its proposed new location.
But some residents and organizations in the East Third Avenue neighborhood, formally known as the East Fassbinder Homestead Neighborhood, are calling foul on the city’s process for choosing what project to award.
East Third Avenue resident Kelly Haun said the neighborhood would be directly impacted by the city’s proposed Head Start relocation and workforce housing development.
She said in an email to The Durango Herald many people living in the neighborhood were not aware of the project until June and are upset about “what they see as a deeply flawed process of City engagement with the neighbors.”
Residents were not consulted about designs and how to mitigate impacts on the neighborhood, she said.
People for and against the proposal to build a new early education and preschool center and up to 25 workforce housing units will have two opportunities to learn more about the project at public meetings scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Durango Public Library and another meeting Aug. 15.
Durango Community Development Director Scott Shine said the city held an interest meeting in December where it announced it intends to pursue a project for the parking lot at 1917 East Third Ave.
Meeting attendees proposed child care, housing, gardens and other ideas for the lot at the meeting, he said.
According to slides presented at the meeting in December, allowed uses for the lot include single-family and residential group homes; clinics, Urgent Care and other care facilities; medical, dental and optical labs; government offices; and other uses.
Additionally, potential conditional uses of the lot included day care centers, preschool and early learning facilities; other school facilities; religious facilities; cafes and retail uses; a parking garage; and space for ATMs; among others.
Shine said the city issued a request for proposals in February and left the request open for several months, but received only three proposals.
“An interdepartmental team of city staff reviewed those with specific criteria and chose one of the proposals,” he said. “I issued what is called a notice of intent to award.”
Shine said the city hasn’t signed any contracts, agreements or leases. In his initial announcement to City Council in June, he said Head Start would lease the new facility from the city as it does with its current facility. And, he said the city wouldn’t finance the project – just provide the lot on which the building would be located.
“We’ve just said out of the three proposals we’ve gotten, we liked this one the most and it ranked the highest based on (our) criteria,” he said.
East Third Avenue resident Sharon Walker said it appears the city’s already made up its mind about pursuing the Head Start relocation and workforce housing development, and that makes some residents angry.
Mary Ellen Finley, a resident of East Park Avenue south of the library, said in an email to The Durango Herald the city’s “very opaque” handling of the proposal causes her “very grave concerns.”
She said her and other neighborhood residents suspect the city gave a “sweetheart deal” to the Head Start project, which includes Reynolds Ash + Associates, Head Start, Agave Group and a private property owner.
“The Durango botanic gardens submitted a wonderful proposal for a community food and educational garden at this site,” she said. “... There were multiple letters of support for this project from the neighborhood.”
She said residents suspect negotiations were already underway with Reynolds Ash + Associates before the city issued a request for proposals.
Walker said she told city planners, “We have no power here. You’re going to listen to the long-term plans and the developers who want to enact it and just … let the public, who is concerned, (expletive) and whine.”
She said she doesn’t particularly care what project, if any, the city pursues for the lot at 1917 East Third Ave. Rather, she wishes the city would be upfront about already making up its mind.
“My thought at the beginning was we’re like children saying, ‘I want to stay up till 9 o'clock,’ and the city saying, ‘No, you can’t.’ But they’re not saying it. That’s what ticks me off,” she said.
Shine said when the city learned some residents are concerned about how the city went about assessing project proposals, it scheduled another public meeting for Monday.
At that meeting, the city will explain the process it followed, where it’s at in the process and what next steps are, he said.
He said on Wednesday “there’s still a lot to be worked out” with designs and other details – the project isn’t a done deal just yet.
Shine said residents can provide feedback on the proposed project at the public meeting scheduled for Aug. 15.
He said the goal of the meeting is to work with residents to ensure “this project contributes positively to the neighborhood and doesn't negatively impact a really great neighborhood.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
