Concerned community members find out what’s up Downtown
The proverbial “shoulder” season is in full swing. The leaf-peeping tourists have fled, and the skiers and riders are yet to arrive. A moment of peace in Downtown Durango? Hardly.
Some construction is underway, with a few sidewalks and roads blocked in the Central Business District as the City handles road resurfacing at the railroad crossings and buildings take on a new life. But as the approximately 80 community members who stopped by the Durango Arts Center Theater on Nov. 9 learned, much more “transformation” is on the horizon.
The Community Meeting on “Downtown” was the third in a series of regular updates sponsored by the Durango Business Improvement District (BID) and the City of Durango. In essence, the forums are designed to inform and involve community members in the process of Downtown’s evolution.
As Phil Bryson, co-developer of The Crossroads and active Downtown advocate has long reminded folks, “Get involved now. Don’t wait until all the work and planning have been completed to provide input.”
The two-hour meeting offered updates on the following projects, and more, plus individual question and answer sessions following the public presentations.
Community Development
“These things came out of our community planning process over the last couple of years,” said Greg Hoch, Durango director of planning and community development, referencing, among others, the Downtown Vision and Community Plan, a multi-year effort designed to serve as a guidebook for the vision of what Downtown Durango could and should be, according to its citizenry. The full plan is posted on the City’s web site, www.durangogov.org.
Of priority was incorporating “the river” into “the town.” An area considered “the other side of the tracks” in Durango’s early years, it has evolved as an industrial and commercial corridor, with little consideration for the natural beauty of and uses for the Animas River.
Enthusiastic developers and visionaries seized on opportunities to transform the river corridor, but the new City Council, leery of the potential for undesirable and ill-considered change, placed a moratorium on new projects. With the exception of the Discovery Museum and 1111 Camino del Rio, planning ground to a halt while City staff developed a zoning code and design guidelines.
According to Hoch, the river corridor document is now complete and approved by the Durango Planning Commission, and it will come before City Council in coming weeks, after which redevelopment could ostensibly resume.
“In 2008 we proposed to undertake the Camino del Rio corridor mobility analysis,” said Hoch. “Camino is one of the areas in our community that could stand an upgrade.”
Efforts to alter Camino must start with CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) as Camino is a state highway. Public and private infrastructure improvements will be addressed, as well as improved connectivity to the remainder of the Central Business District and river.
A parking management and action plan is proposed for 2009, which Hoch noted is state-of-the-art procedure for communities throughout the country. Development of a Downtown Parking Authority or Benefit District, with taxing ability, as well as determination of future public and private parking facilities/locations, would likely be included.
Finally, the City will also embark on a facilities study, evaluating the various over-crowded buildings and properties occupied by City staff. Results would offer suggested solutions and plans for the future.
Way-finding Signage Program
Signage in Downtown Durango was an additional issue brought up in the Downtown Vision Plan, according to Bob Kunkel, who is heading up the steering committee facilitating this effort.
“This was among the low hanging fruit – the way-finding signage project,” said Kunkel, the City’s Downtown specialist. “To help people find their way either to government buildings, some our attractions, like the train, public parking – help them navigate Downtown.”
KMA, a consulting firm from Pittsburgh, was hired to do the general analysis of needs and placement, and create a “family” of signs. Jason Engbarth of KMA was on hand to review his firm’s progress over the past six months.
“The plan included identifying key destinations, developing a comprehensive message schedule and location plan,” said Engbarth. “It also identified nine gateway locations.”
More than 70 new signs are recommended in the plan – all of which are designed to replace existing signage. Visually, the signs carry out Durango’s Victorian theme, incorporating elements such as arches and filigree, with the primary color, “Philadelphia Green,” selected to match the existing lamp posts, benches and waste receptacles. The signs would be constructed of one-eighth inch aluminum with reflective vinyl, to increase nighttime visibility and facilitate possible future content changes. Within the “family” are signs directed to both vehicle drivers and pedestrians.
“And the recommendations allow the city to proceed at its own pace,” said Engbarth, of the actual sign installation, which is expected to span several years.
Meetings with Design Review, Historic Preservation and CDOT remain, but are expected to be complete by the end of the year, according to Kunkel. Costs will be then be determined, as well as the installation plan, and presented to City Council for approval.
Click here to see presentation
Main Avenue Streetscape Project
Perhaps the most contentious of the pending Downtown projects is “the sidewalks.” Keith Walzak, of Walzak Design Resources, retained by the City to undertake Phase I, the analysis and alternative development for the project, presented an overview of the process and results.
Walzak’s presentation came on the heels of a public forum Nov. 7, which offered the community opportunity to express opinions of the five potential sidewalk alternatives. Unfortunately, a presentation was not a part of the forum, and many community members made recommendations based on misinformation – a majority opting for alternative “A” thinking it meant no action.
As Walzak noted Nov. 9, no suggested alternative is “a do nothing” proposal. Along many parts of Main Avenue, the sidewalks have become a legal liability, presenting hazards because of extensive tree root growth or age or both. The property owners are required to maintain their portion of the sidewalks, and the City could, at any time, serve notice and require them to “fix” the dangerous walks.
In lieu of a piecemeal approach, the City through Walzak’s group, is seeking a comprehensive, forward-looking program to address the issues. A thorough overview of the five alternatives can be viewed at www.durangodowntown.com/sidewalks.
“We will assess all the options, and look at the positive aspects of each and likely create a hybrid,” said Walzak, noting that the steering committee will come to a decision based on public input, cost and feasibility. “The construction schedule will depend on the final decision and the direction decided.”
He also noted that for construction, “opportunities” will be seized, and the greatest needs addressed first. Portions of sidewalks not in need of repair may not be touched. Given the current city budget, the earliest any construction might begin is 2009.
Click here to see presentation
Durango Conference and Events Center
Though the ballot initiative that would increase lodger’s tax with anticipation of helping fund a future conference and events center in Downtown did not make the November ballot, members of the BID board of directors continue to explore future viability and options for such a facility.
John Wells, the presiding officer, announced that the update of the Conference Center Feasibility study – all 117 pages – is now complete, and will be posted for review on the BID web site in the coming week, www.downtowndurango.org.
Transit Center
If all goes as planned, construction of a Transit Center, to be located in the “Car Park” behind the Post Office, will begin in early spring 2008.
Roy Peterson and Dean Brookie explained the facility’s design, which in the first phase will see construction of a “mini Grand Central Station” along 8th St. The building will feature a ticket area, waiting area and convenient pick-up and drop-off for all public transit vehicles. City offices for transit and parking will find a new home in the facility, and the second floor will also contain some meeting space.
Eventually, when funding is secured, a three-story, 400-space parking garage, with drive-in access on 7th St. will be built behind the Transit Center. Expectations are to include a pedestrian arcade to connect 7th and 8th Streets, as well as bicycle storage.
Click here to see presentation
Private Development
Two significant projects currently underway Downtown include the remodel of the Wallace Furniture building at 858 Main Ave. and Crossroads Phase II in the 1000 block of Main.
The Wallace building, owned and being redesigned by Dean Brookie, will include two new retail suites on the ground floor, plus a central entrance that leads to the second floor access. The second and third floors will hold office condominiums ranging from 300 to 1500 square feet in size.
Exterior renovations have been underway in the past week, the most evident being reconstruction of the front façade to restore the original “historic” appearance. Interior construction is expected to begin in coming weeks, with completion in fall of 2008.
The Crossroads II will complete the transformation of the north part of the 1000 block and the “wrap-around” of the historic Durango Office Suites. According to Christina Thompson, overseeing the construction management, the new building will “fill in” the parking lot with a mix of retail, office and residential spaces in three stories. The anticipated 19 residential units are expected to range from 800 to 2000 square feet.
Features also include a mezzanine level in the rear of the structure, underground parking garage and restoration of an historic brick building housed in the alley.
The final appearance along Main will feature three separate façades, to maintain the “look” of the Historic Downtown. As part of the project, the developers will also remove the old sidewalk awning, which is not part of the historic structure, and give Durango Office Suites a facelift.
Further information on the entire project is available at www.crossroadsdurango.com.
According to Kunkel, the City and BID will continue offering regular updates – roughly quarterly – on the Downtown projects, and community input is desired.
As Bryson wrote in a Durango Herald “Public Pulse” in early 2006, “maintaining it (Downtown Durango) looks simple, but in truth many are working to ensure that our Historic Downtown remains as vibrant, alive and ‘real’ as it is today… Please don’t be complacent. Downtown is the heart of Durango. We need to make sure it keeps beating.”
