The Durango Planning Commission is hosting a virtual public hearing Monday about a proposed multiuse building project at the contentious Boker Lumber site. Numerous other projects planned for the site have fallen flat because of pushback from neighbors.
The Boker Lumber site is located at 950 E. College Drive.
The proposed development consists of two buildings, one facing East Ninth Avenue with 27 to 28 condos that will be for sale, and the other facing College Drive with 14 long-term rental units, Tracy Reynolds, architect and engineer who proposed the project, said in an interview Friday.
A site development cost of $800,000 was included in city planning documents. The projected cost per unit was rated at $82,926. Studio units could sell below $300,000 and three-bedroom flats could sell in the $500,000 range, planning documents say.
Four short-term rentals were also included in the proposal along with four deed-restricted workforce housing units.
Reynolds said the building containing condos will potentially be geared toward the senior market and will include an elevator and handicap-accessible units as required by city code.
Reynolds’ proposal acknowledges concerns that residents have expressed in the past, according to planning documents.
He said the largest concerns from neighbors in another development project that fell through for Reynolds two years ago was congested traffic on the streets around the Boker Lumber site, particularly on East Ninth Avenue.
All entry and exit access to the buildings were planned to be on College Drive, but since that proposal was submitted, the planning department has raised concerns about traffic safety and the steepness of College Drive, which is fed uphill traffic from Goeglein Gulch.
The current access point to the defunct site has poor sight distances, making it tough to spot oncoming traffic, Reynolds said.
“So we’re going to be looking at other options,” he said. “And there may have to be two access points to the site.”
Planning documents summarizing the proposal say Reynolds agreed to pursue the project as a planned development as opposed to a basic mixed-use neighborhood zoning procedure because the former grants neighbors more opportunities to comment on the matter.
Planners who no longer work for the city had promised neighbors that any development at the site would go through the planned development process, according to planning documents. Although those planners no longer work for the city, current planners are honoring that promise, although they aren’t required to, the summary says.
The summary cites neighborhood opposition to previous projects as a reason to begin planning with sketches instead of full engineering plans so major complaints and concerns can be addressed without having to revise engineering plans.
Reynolds doesn’t have plans to begin construction at the Boker Lumber site until spring 2023, allowing more time for the planned development process, the summary says.
The proposed project includes on-site improvements such as a bear-proof dumpster enclosure, snow storage areas, abundant landscaping, electric vehicle charging stations, stormwater features and an amenity area, according to planning documents.
The Boker Lumber site was originally occupied by Boker Lumber Co., which closed in 2005. The site was purchased by Steve Cadwallader in 2010, according to planning documents.
A proposal for the site was approved but abandoned because it lost financial viability because of a low number of units, high development costs and a new purchase price of $2.6 million. The site is ideal for higher density housing units, planning documents say.
cburney@durangoherald.com
