DURANGO, Colo.—A developer who planned to build 595 residences, including many large homes, says he has changed his plans to fit with the fast-growing city’s mood.
The Durango Herald said Eric Flora will cluster the 595 units in the 597 acres in the Twin Buttes area. They will be designed with environmental sustainability in mind, and will be connected by trails.
“I think it’s been a change for the better since the 2007 City Council election,” Flora said.
City Councilor Scott Graham announced his candidacy last year near the entrance to Twin Buttes to show his concern about the proposed project. Graham had advocated keeping the area open space, but says he will keep an open mind.
“We have to listen to the community at large at public meetings so these guys have a chance in public to come to us and say ‘This is why it’s a good idea’ and other people can say ‘This is a good or bad idea,'” he said. “What we don’t want is for us to start blathering away about this stuff and then as a result the city gets sued,” Graham said.
Flora’s plan will need the city to annex the area to provide services. It will probably come before the council later this year.
“We’re not looking to dodge anything,” Flora said. His lawyer, Denny Ehlers, said it would be technically possible to move forward without annexation but would be much more difficult.
Twin Buttes will also include 14 acres of terraced community gardens, which Flora said is a budding hobby for him. He said the produce gardens will be irrigated with a contained system of ponds fed by Lightner Creek, which runs through the property.
The city’s population has grown 12.2 percent since the 2000 census to an estimated 15,614.
