Fittingly, the headline ended with a question mark: “A new hotel on Camino del Rio?”

It is the first of many to be prompted by Monday’s news of an 86-room hotel being proposed for 1111 Camino del Rio. Among the obvious: Does Durango really need another hotel? According to Bob Kunkel, Director of the Durango Area Tourism Office, with approximately 1 million tourists visiting Durango annually and high occupancy rates, we do.

Even so, this decision in this locale is one to be considered carefully. If approved, it will set the stage for the look and feel of the heart of the Camino del Rio District, one of ten districts in the Durango Districts Initiative, for years to come.

The vision of the Districts Initiative is to “create a framework of coordinated district plans that defines the unique character of each district and provides a vision for the future.”

The trouble is, the Camino District plan is not yet complete and the hotel approval process risks getting ahead of the community’s desire.

City planning staffers have identified the Camino District as holding potential for commercial and residential growth, and are currently in the process of assembling comments from last summer’s meeting. These include a desire to capitalize on the river; walkability; new cafes, restaurants, and shops; underground parking; pedestrian, art and public spaces; and connectivity with Main Avenue.

Negotiating potential variances, staff has already elicited some public improvements from the developer, including completion of the river trail from Iris Park to 9th Street with a connection to Camino del Rio, a new sidewalk, street trees and traffic median.

What is not addressed is the ongoing need for workforce housing, public meeting and venue space and a long-overdue underpass critical to connecting the river corridor to downtown.

The scale of the project is yet unknown and potentially problematic for that site. Planners should be careful to open up rather than obscure our view and connection with the river.

The Design Review Board will consider the proposal at the first of three public meetings on Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall.

Learn more and let your views be known.