Residents near Durango Public Library are accusing the city of Durango of putting the cart before the horse, essentially making up its mind about a redevelopment plan and then conducting a public review process.
About 40 residents attended a meeting Monday at the library to confront city staff, calling its process suspicious and nontransparent.
The city is considering a proposal to move Tri-County Head Start, an early childhood development nonprofit, a short distance from its current location at 2019 East Third Ave., to an often empty parking lot at 1917 East Third Ave. Meanwhile, the existing Head Start location would be turned into workforce housing.
The proposal consists of two phases: The construction of a new Head Start facility at the parking lot to be followed by the development of up to a couple dozen workforce housing units at Head Start’s current location.
Residents said there were no open-ended discussions about future uses in the neighborhood. Rather, the city presented its plan after already identifying a possible architect and contractor. In addition, residents accused the city of striking a “sweetheart” deal with Reynolds Ash + Associates, whose founder, Tracy Reynolds, is married to Head Start Vice President Diana Reynolds.
In addition to a perceived conflict of interest, residents faulted the city for packaging two proposals – moving Head Start and developing workforce housing – into one deal when they should be treated as separate proposals with their own open-ended public hearings.
At a study session Tuesday, City Manager José Madrigal said the city did not include the 2019 East Third Ave. address as a separate request for proposal because Head Start currently leases the property from the city.
East 20th Street resident Eve Presler, who said she lives in the epicenter of the project impact zone, referenced a July 9 Instagram post by Reynolds Ash + Associates celebrating the city’s approval of the Head Start relocation and workforce housing project.
“This feels like it’s moving really, really fast and it may even have been decided,” she said. “And these are just box-checking activities, which feels very frustrating to me.”
Durango Community Director Scott Shine said residents will have comprehensive input about the design and number of workforce housing units planned for 2019 East Third Ave. as well as input about the design of the new Head Start location.
He said City Council was only reviewing a lease agreement between the city and Head Start.
Leases, he explained, are required to be approved through ordinances, which requires review by City Council three separate times in an introduction, first reading and second reading.
“What we've done is we've placed a draft lease with Head Start on for council consideration that would not be finalized until the middle of September,” he said. “But we have to keep taking these incremental steps in order to make progress and that lease in no way gives any design approval for the Head Start facility.”
East Second Avenue resident and Durango Botanic Gardens President Bill LeMaire said the issue for residents is the city’s approach to the project feels like a “breach of trust.”
He said residents are keeping up with the project on social media, not through direct communication with the city. He said the project in question was scheduled to go before Durango City Council on Tuesday, just one day after the first public meeting about the project since December.
“You keep talking about ... we're going to have involvement, we're going to have engagement,” he said. “But is that just like, ‘A sidewalk here, not there?’ Or how substantive will our input be?”
Another neighborhood resident, who did not disclose her name, said the elephant in the room is the way in which the city announced the project as one proposal, but the two components, Head Start’s relocation and workforce housing, should be treated separately.
“We want it to be two separate processes. You started it that way, finish it that way. Do it correctly,” she said.
East 30th Street resident Chris Paulson said she does not live in the proposed project area near the library, but the development of a parking lot at 1917 East Third Avenue, which is owned by the city, is important to other community members who use the library, too.
“I'm here practically almost every other day going to the library. This is a city issue for all of us to take a look at as to how we want to see this neighborhood developed,” she said. “The library is a prime jewel of the city and we want to have compatible development in this neighborhood on anything that’s city-owned property.”
She said she doesn’t like seeing public properties funded by taxpayers converted to private properties or residences.
Last week, Shine said other residents have contacted the city to express support for the project. He shared emails from residents encouraging the city continue its workforce housing efforts.
Durango resident Gail Harriss doesn’t live in the vicinity of Durango Public Library or East Third Avenue, but she said Head Start’s current location at 2019 East Third Ave. is ideal for new workforce housing.
“I strongly support all efforts to increase our workforce housing within the City limits,” she said in an email to Shine, City Council and other city employees. “... It is close to the Library, Head Start and St. Columba’s school. It is within walking and biking distance of downtown, the Durango High School and Miller and Needham schools.”
She said a new facility for Head Start will serve the neighborhood better than a vacant parking lot.
In another email to the city, resident Darcy Hitchcock, who also lives outside the vicinity of East Third Avenue near the library, said she supports efforts to expand affordable workforce housing in Durango and the Head Start relocation makes sense.
“It’s close to the trail and trolley, making it feasible for many to get to work without a car. Emphasizing this might reduce the pushback you’re getting from neighbors regarding parking,” she said.
In responding to accusations from residents that the city is giving RA+A a “sweetheart deal,” Shine said the city’s request for proposals discussed at a public meeting in December and issued around February was an “open and widely known opportunity to submit proposals.”
“For years, we have gotten inquiries abut, ‘I have this idea for the property … the city should work with me to do this,’” he said. “If we wanted to set up a sweetheart deal we would have just entered into an agreement with them. But we did not.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
A previous version of this story erred in stating the Tri-County Head Start and workforce housing project is the city’s proposal. Head Start, Reynolds Ash + Associates, Agave Group and a private property owner submitted the proposal.
