The annexation of land from the Durango Mesa Park Foundation into Durango is one step away from coming to fruition after eight years of work by the foundation, the city of Durango and La Plata County.

Durango City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to schedule a final reading of an ordinance that would officially bring 1,928 acres of land into city limits ahead of developing a bicycle park on the mesa next year.

Mayor Melissa Youssef said the pending land incorporation is “historic and monumental” and the recreational assets to follow gives the city a competitive edge.

Councilor Gilda Yazzie said building Durango Mesa Park used to be a pipe dream, but it’s amazing that it’s being realized.

Durango Mesa Park Foundation director Moira Compton said in a public comment at the meeting the much-anticipated annexation is the result of eight years of work, with two and a half years spent specifically on the project.

She credited city staffmembers for their involvement in the process and named Ture Nycum, former Durango Parks and Recreation director; Scott McClain, interim Parks and Recreation director; Vicki Vandegrift with Durango Public Works; and Allison Baker, director of Durango Public Works.

“This is not a single lift. This is actually a lift by many for generations to come. It is not a fast-moving piece,” she said. “We’ve been working on this now for eight years … The incredible work that will come after this process is complete is probably going to be equally difficult and challenging. But the rewards are incredible.”

The annexation is another step in developing Durango Mesa Park, which includes mountain biking and multi-use demonstration trails nearing completion, and a world-class bike park to be built next year.

A concert venue or venues are planned along with a cycling complex and an athletic complex, and a site has been identified as a possible new location for the La Plata County Fairgrounds should the county pursue it.

The mesa has been the site of numerous events sponsored by the Durango Mesa Park Foundation, something Vandegrift noted during Tuesday’s meeting. The mesa hosted the annual High School Mountain Bike Championships several times, as well as the annual Meltdown on the Mesa music festival.

Vandegrift, who works for the city’s community development department, said annexed land will be zoned as open space and rural agriculture zones as appropriate, with the latter allowing for recreational mountain biking and other uses.

The city’s land use and development code combined with state requirements require several factors for the annexation to be valid, she said. The annexation was found to meet standards in contiguity, process and serviceability requirements, along with property access.

Vandegrift said the property is 73% contiguous with or touching existing city limits.

“Because we’ve annexed Horse Gulch, all of this is contiguous,” she said. “Everything to the west is contiguous, or almost everything to the west.”

She said some of the property, separated by land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, is still considered to be touching because state law ignores federal lands for the purposes of contiguity.

“We jumped the BLM land and so we’re contiguous with Three Springs, and we’re contiguous with South Fork,” she said.

Mark Morgan, city attorney for Durango, said Durango Mesa Park is “by far the most generous and exciting project I’ve ever seen” in all his 27 years of working in government.

“You guys should be very, very proud. I mean, this is just 10 times cooler than anything I’ve ever been a part of in my experience,” he said.

Christina Rinderle, interim board president for nonprofit Durango Trails, said Durango Mesa Park is an incredible community asset.

“There’s just been a lot of excitement in the community for these new trails to open, ” she said. “It is an incredible gift and we’re just so thrilled to see this happening.”

City councilors showed enthusiasm for the project.

Youssef plans to save most of her comments until the annexation is officially passed at the Sept. 19 City Council meeting, but she said the positive impacts of park development will be “immeasurable.”

She said building Durango Mesa Park presents “remarkable, unique and rare” recreational opportunities, a world-class bike park and an “amazing space for a possible music and cultural venue, which is severely lacking in our community.”

“We have been known as a wonderful town in Southwest Colorado with the train, Purgatory, the river and the college. Add to that list Durango Mesa Park, without a doubt,” she said. “Quality recreational assets are a competitive advantage and they are a huge value proposition for Durango.”

Councilor Dave Woodruff said the project is “truly visionary” and “truly inspiring” because it will be an amenity for the Durango community for future generations.

Councilor Jessika Buell said she looks forward to seeing developments on the mesa continue.

Councilor Olivier Bosmans said he echoes the other councilors’ comments and appreciates “the generosity and vision and all the hard work that we have put in.”

cburney@durangoherald.com