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City Council approves ADUs

Encroaching deer also an issue in East Animas City

Without much ado Tuesday, the Durango City Council unanimously approved the ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units in the East Animas City neighborhood.

“I’m pleased we were able to work through the process with homeowners, and I’m proud to move we approve the ordinance,” Councilor Christina Rinderle said.

ADUs were approved in downtown and the historic downtown neighborhoods in 2014.

“This is a substantive piece of the Land Use Development Code that we simply postponed last year because we recognized we had another process to work through,” said Councilor Dick White, who later mentioned in the meeting that the LUDC may have been the single most important accomplishment from his first four years in office.

In other news, it also was announced the Colorado Department of Local Affairs awarded the city a $1 million grant to redesign the sewage treatment plant.

During the public comment period, resident Andree Stetson requested help in dealing with the growing deer herd in her neighborhood in East Animas City.

She asked councilors to consider culling herds to a manageable level.

”I know this is a complicated issue on all sides, but the herd in my neighborhood is growing exponentially,” she said. “There are a number of does who’ve had twins, and we’re discouraging their natural predators, bears and cougars.”

The deer aren’t just a nuisance, Stetson said.

“They’re causing significant property damage – not just eating pretty flowers, but destroying shrubs and killing trees,” she said. “The bucks rub against the trees when they’re rutting and rub all the bark off. And the bucks are actually dangerous during the mating season, with about five of them fighting over the does in my yard.”

Stetson has done extensive research on what other towns across the country are doing, mentioning that a herd that grows too large can allow diseases to spread. Several towns, she said, have come up with ways to deal with the deer in their municipalities.

City Manager Ron LeBlanc said the city couldn’t do anything because the deer are the property of the state of Colorado and are out of the city’s jurisdiction. He recommended Stetson contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife on managing the herd in town.

“I talked to them,” Stetson said, “and they said their hands are tied by city and town ordinances that won’t allow them to cull herds. They said they would love to bring in Colorado Bow Hunters, but they can’t the way things stand.”

Stetson left with some new people to contact but no indication from councilors that the city would look into it.

abutler@durangoherald.com

Apr 19, 2018
Durango may allow homeowners to add accessory apartments in new neighborhoods
Dec 6, 2015
Housing policy debate to continue in Durango


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