Does Durango have blight? The answer could help city redevelop

Does Durango have blighted neighborhoods in need of help?

For some city officials and business representatives, the answer is yes.

“I do think that there are areas in our community that still have blight, as difficult as that word sounds,” said Mayor Melissa Youssef.

However, the blight in Durango may not be the stereotype of slums the word evokes. Under Colorado law, blight can include deteriorating buildings as one might expect. But it also covers inadequate street layout, insufficient public utilities, environmental contamination and impractical lot design, among other conditions that make development difficult.

To determine if Durango has significant blight, the city has contracted with a consultant company, Short Elliott Hendrickson, to see if four of the 11 conditions defined as blight by state law can be found in Durango’s neighborhoods, said Alex Rugoff, the city business development and redevelopment coordinator.  For an area to meet the definition of blighted under state law, it must have at least four of the conditions.

“It’s really data-driven to try and see if these conditions exist,” Rugoff said.

If the conditions are found, Durango City Council may form a new urban renewal authority in March or April that could help finance new construction in blighted areas, with a focus on housing projects, he said.

The city is considering north Main Avenue and Camino del Rio as potential areas that could benefit from an urban renewal authority. Along those corridors, the authority could help finance multi-story buildings that would house retail shops, restaurants and housing – a vision the city developed through an extensive character district planning process, Rugoff said.

The new development could be a long-term benefit to the city and other taxing entities by turning blighted property into businesses that will generate additional sales and property tax revenue, he said.

Youssef said she is interested in an urban renewal authority’s potential to beautify the town, improve infrastructure and ensure the continued redevelopment along north Main Avenue.

However, she would like to potentially re-evaluate height restrictions of buildings along north Main Avenue and Camino del Rio, now that the Holiday Inn Express at 1111 Camino del Rio is taking shape.

“It’s definitely standing out and giving us a reason to pause and potentially reconsider,” she said.

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