News

Local developers are proposing a 144-unit apartment complex on north Main Avenue that could help meet the need for workforce housing.

Brian and Marlene Rael, owners of MBR Development, are pitching the city of Durango on the complex that could be built on about 7 acres near the intersection of north Main Avenue and Animas View Drive, just north of the Hampton Inn, according to city documents.

Developer Brian Rael said he expects the “market-rate” housing will help meet a “dire need” for apartments, particularly on the north end of town.

Rael has observed the demand for housing while converting the old Travelodge on north Main Avenue into long-term apartments, which is an ongoing project, he said.

“We have already got a huge waiting list,” he said.

The proposed complex is expected to have 650-square-foot to 1,200-square-foot units and include studios and one- and two-bedroom units, Rael said. He has not yet set rental unit prices, he said.

The development’s proximity to downtown and its views of the north Animas Valley are expected to appeal to tenants, he said.

Rael’s plans for the new apartment complex and an office building were approved by the city’s Design Review Board in May and will go before the Durango Planning Commission on Dec. 9.

The commission must consider a significant height variance for the project and will have final say on the project’s approval, said Nicol Killian, assistant director of the Community Development Department.

The majority of the buildings will be 43- to 49-feet high, above the city’s standard height limit of 39 feet. At some points, the buildings will be 60-feet tall, but those portions will either face away from the road or are not visible from road, according to city documents.

The apartments will be nestled against a hillside, on a site with steep grades, making the taller building heights necessary, Rael said.

“It’s not going to affect anybody’s view at all. ... We are just trying to capture a higher density,” Rael said.

Plans for the buildings started with 204 units, but have been scaled back to 144 units to meet the city’s parking requirements, he said. Rael expected to build about 225 parking spaces.

The Design Review Board supported Rael’s request for the height variance because of the topography; the portions of the building that reach 60 feet high are few and Animas Mountain reduces the visual impact, said Killian, in an email to The Durango Herald.

The board requested a few changes to the proposed design, including a shift to more earth-toned colors on the exterior, more design emphasis on doorways and better screening of rooftop equipment, she said.

It is unknown if city staff will recommend approval of the development because the review process has not yet been completed.

“It appears to be meeting the Land Use and Development Code requirements and height variance criteria,” Killian said.

Design Review Board member Carolyn Hunter said she expects the project will help meet the need for workforce housing in Durango, called for in the city of Durango’s housing plan. The plan found the city needs to add around 200 new homes each year to meet demand.

New tenants will also have easy access to the city’s Trolley line and will be within walking and cycling distance of downtown, she said.

“My personal opinion is that’s a very good location for an apartment complex that size,” she said.

[email protected]