Purgatory to Expand, BMX News, Housing Updates

Purgatory Resort now has approval to begin new beginner and intermediate terrain. Durango’s BMX Park will be the site of this year’s state championship meet. And the city of Durango has proposed to adopt deed-restricted housing regulations. You’re watching the Local News Roundup brought to you by Pop’s Truck and RV Center and the law firm of Downs, McDonough, Cowan & Foley. I’m Wendy Graham Settle. The San Juan National Forest Service announced late last month that it has approved Purgatory Resort’s plans to add a ski lift and four new beginner and low-intermediate runs on the backside of the mountain. The high-speed lift will be located east of chair 3 and will be accessible from the Salvation ski run. The new area will add 45 acres of terrain. Purgatory is expected to announce a timeline for construction later this spring. To see a copy of the Forest Service approval document, visit fs.usda.gov and search for Ice Creek project. To learn more about Purgatory Resort’s expansion plans later this spring, visit purgatory.ski. More than 400 BMX racers and a thousand fans are expected in Durango on August 20th and 21st when Durango hosts the 2022 BMX state championships. Colorado has 14 BMX race tracks and because the Durango track had the greatest number of racers in 2021, it was selected as this year’s championship venue. In addition to the state championships, the Tangent Pro-American race series will offer races every hour. The Pro-Am offer professional BMX racers and top amateur riders an opportunity to win large cash prizes. The event will be free to spectators. Visit durangogov.org for more information. Lake Nighthorse is now open to non-motorized recreation. Hours of operation are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through May 7th. Daily operations begin May 13th with motorized recreation beginning May 15th. This spring marks the fifth year that lake Nighthorse is open to recreation. In the meantime, the city has seasonal positions open for cashier, boat inspector and lifeguards. To apply visit durangogov.org/jobs. With the cost of a house in Durango skyrocketing by 18% in one year to an average of $800,000, the average household of four making $96,000 a year would have to pay nearly 60% of its monthly income to make the mortgage payment. It’s one of the reasons why the city council created a housing innovation division in the community development department this year. The city council recently reviewed an update of housing initiatives that are tackling the issue on a number of fronts, including private and public development partnerships and changing land use codes to allow for more accessory dwelling units or housing conversions into apartments. Now it’s considering a proposal called Homegrown Durango to provide 200 deed-restricted housing units for the local workforce by 2030. Developed in partnership with community housing advocates and others, Homegrown Durango proposes that the city defray the cost of development in exchange for deed-restrictions that would limit how much a homeowner could profit from a future sale. The goal would be to reduce the initial sales price to 20% below a comparable market rate unit. The home would be occupied by the owner who must be a La Plata county resident, work minimum of 30 hours a week locally, and must live at the residency at least nine months out of the year. Residents 65 years and older would have to provide verifiable history of employment for five to seven years prior to application. In exchange for the reduction in cost, the deed would cap appreciation of the purchase price at 2% per year. Although Homegrown Durango is in its conceptual phase, you can follow progress online at durangogov.org, and visit the community development page under government. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Roundup. I’m Wendy Graham settle.

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