Density concerns, soundscapes and dark skies, wildlife impacts, preservation of the Animas River Corridor, and water and sanitation demands are only half of the issues Animas Valley residents face if a proposed luxury RV park is approved by La Plata County.
Residents of the Animas Valley have also questioned the legality of the proposed RV park in terms of zoning.
A preliminary sketch plan of the development targeting 876 Trimble Lane (County Road 252) was approved by the La Plata County Planning Commission in January and is now moving through a minor land-use permit process. Arizona-based developer Scott Roberts wants to build a 306-stall luxury RV park, which includes 49 tiny homes the proposal calls “adventure cabins.”
But some residents fear the scope of the potential development would impede on the rural lifestyle they enjoy.
The Animas Valley Action Coalition, a community group organized to protect the Animas Valley from developments that pose major impacts to the area, hosted a meeting Saturday at the Durango Public Library to discuss impacts and continue the conversation about Roberts’ RV park.
About 58 residents and friends of the Animas Valley gathered to hear two presentations about the history of the valley and an opportunity to protect the Animas River Corridor.
Tom Penn said AVAC community members have different expectations of the RV park proposal. Some people don’t want an RV park to be built at all and others would prefer a smaller development.
“I think we can all agree that this doesn’t work for our community, our values,” he said. “We can at least agree on that. This is not the way we want to see it.”
AVAC’s top 10 concerns are:
- Size and scope of the proposal.
- Soundscapes, night skies.
- Impacts on wildlife.
- Protection and preservation of the Animas River Corridor, natural beauty and traditional rural lifestyle.
- Very high water and sanitation demands.
- Durango residents’ needs should be a higher priority than attracting more tourists to the Animas Valley.
- Traffic impacts on county roads 252 and 250 and U.S. Highway 550.
- Traffic safety concerning cyclists and pedestrians.
- Concerns of increased crime and trespassing.
- Inadequate planning for historic river access.
- Fire and fire response.
Darlene Koontz said the Animas Water Co., which services the Animas Valley, has a current membership of about 1,216 customers and Roberts’ proposed RV park, according to the submitted sketch plan, would “trigger significant water demand and possible improvements to the system.”
“Is there enough water?” she said.
Regarding sanitation, she said the Hermosa Sanitation District provides sewer services to 1,500 or more customers. Again, the sketch plan for the RV park projects expansion to meet significant demand.
Jim Barrett, secretary and treasurer for Hermosa Sanitation District, said the sanitation plant is a residential sewer system and was not intended to provide service to commercial entities.
“What we’re scared of, this particular resort, particularly with Class A RV sewers coming into our system, would be killing all of our bacteria. Which would make our lagoon system useless,” he said.
He said the city of Durango would require Hermosa Sanitation District to upgrade to a mechanical system to handle the greater demand imposed by the RV park, which he estimated would cost between $10 million and $12 million.
“We don’t want that. People here don’t want that. They don’t want to pay for it,” he said. “... Another thing we would ask this resort if they’re going to do this, they’d have to pay for the (expansion).”
Marie Roessler, who moved to the Animas Valley in 1992, spoke about the valley’s history based on research she did at the Durango Public Library and old county records.
She passed around artifacts she found buried in her yard from the settler days of the 1800s, including an old fork, a wooden doorknob and a “mystery piece” of chiseled, striated stone she was never able to identify an original use for.
She talked about similarities between developments in the Animas Valley in the 1800s and now and said it’s important to know one’s history.
Sarah Burch, Animas River keeper for San Juan Citizens Alliance, gave a presentation about the Trimble Lane Access Project, which aims to preserve the Animas River Corridor.
She said recreational access to the Animas River is actually good for preservation (assuming adequate management) in the sense that if people can use and enjoy the river, they will oppose harmful developments such as unnecessary dredging or waste dumping into the river.
Sam Foster, another member of AVAC, said the proposed development is like dropping a whole new community into the Animas Valley.
AVAC capped off the meeting by reminding members to continue performing media outreach, member recruitment and legal research to determine how much it would cost to hire an attorney for professional advice.
cburney@durangoherald.com
