One of the City Council’s goals is to “envision Durango’s sense of place by creating character districts” that embrace the unique characteristics of different areas of town. Ten distinct areas have been defined. Camino del Rio corridor next to downtown and north Main Avenue are two of these areas that are of importance to the Durango Business Improvement District.
BID represents not only downtown, but all of the Central Business District which extends west of downtown to the river and thus includes properties along Camino del Rio next to downtown. BID also represents north Main. Character Districts for these areas will define the look, feel and potentially land-use codes for the future, all of which can lead to redevelopment in the areas.
A character assessment of these two corridors will provide a better understanding of the existing conditions and land-use aspects that make each unique. For example, north Main Avenue has 32,000 average daily trips on it, making it one of the busiest corridors on the Western Slope. Additionally, north Main has 120 properties, with a median property size of 10,500 square feet. Camino del Rio has the Animas River Trail adjacent to it, but the buildings are oriented away from the river.
North Main Avenue already has a Mobility Plan, created just last year. This year, the city is updating its Multi-Modal Master Plan via a yearlong series of public meetings. The public input will prioritize what multi-modal projects the community wants to see completed in the near future, and it should include several items specific to north Main Avenue and Camino del Rio.
Combined, the north Main Avenue mobility plan, the updated Multi-Modal Master Plan and the Character District assessments will be incorporated into city standards to guide future development. Public input is needed to help shape how both areas will function. Recently, the city released a Request for Quotations around the Character Districts’ work. Part of this RFQ seeks branding for several of the defined districts.
BID encourages everyone to participate in the Multi-Modal Master Plan update meetings and the Character District assessments. They are great ways to give your input to the future of two key areas for the city. BID will be there, and we hope to see you there as well.
To learn more about the Multi-Modal Master Plan update meetings, visit GetAroundDurango.com. Watch this column for more information on the public-input process for the Character District assessments.
To keep up with information about downtown and north Main Avenue, sign up for BID’s weekly E-News. The E-News is published every Wednesday morning. To sign up, text DURANGOBID to 22828 or go to DowntownDurango.org and click on the Communications tab.
timw@downtowndurango.org. Tim Walsworth is the executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District.
