I have been a homeowner in Animas City for more than 30 years. During this time, dramatic changes have occurred in our neighborhood.

Our historic, simple miner homes have been renovated, upgraded, enlarged or demolished and replaced with beautifully constructed new homes. Our dirt roads have been paved. These improvements have driven up the prices of real estate and made purchasing a home difficult, especially for our young adults who grew up in Durango and who now can’t afford to live here.

I applaud the efforts of our current City Council to address the needs of affordable housing in Durango. The newly adopted ADU regulations will enable homeowners to build high quality little-house structures that will provide affordable rental housing options, mother-in-law units and will allow home buyers to generate extra income to make their mortgage payments.

In my opinion, protecting our neighborhoods means keeping our neighborhoods vibrant with young people and a well diversified group of citizens – not just the retired and wealthy.

Sweetie Marbury and Dick White gave careful consideration to the needs of all citizens in Durango when developing the new ADU codes. I encourage you to vote for Marbury and White for City Council because they have demonstrated they are sincere in standing up for all Durango citizens and future generations.

Cindy Kraushaar

Durango