Zia Taqueria has finished a remodel of its north Durango restaurant’s entryway, but owner Tim Turner said he still intends to move one block south to a new building in spring 2020.

And around the same time, he also plans to open a new restaurant, which has yet to be named, at the current Zia north location.

The new restaurant at 3101 Main Ave., the current Zia north location, will feature a soup-and-salad concept and prices will range from $7 to $12, Turner said.

“We’ve wanted to do a local food-driven restaurant with produce that doesn’t fit with Zia’s current menu – broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets,” Turner said.

Turner said the idea is to provide an “approachable price point” offering a “nutrient-rich” menu.

A remodel of the front of Zia north has been planned for a while, and Turner said he didn’t want it delayed by plans to move one block south.

“There’s never a great time to remodel,” he said.

Construction is expected to begin in March on a 10,000-square-foot mixed-use project in the 3000 block of Main Avenue that will include a 2,500-square-foot new home for Zia Taqueria. Completion is optimistically set for late spring 2020, Turner said.

“It all depends on what we find at the site,” Turner said. “We could find a boulder the size of an SUV. There are variables out of our control.”

Turner is partnering with Joe Bishop of Durango on the new mixed-use project. Space is available to lease in the new project, and Turner said one occupant will be a dental office.

Turner said the new Zia will feature a rooftop deck, and he would like to design the development so it would allow the ability to close the block for special events – he envisions something like a block party that could host up to 400 people.

“We’re trying to do the right thing for north Main and the community, and we want to create a community-gathering place,” he said.

parmijo@durangoherald.com