The vacation rental issue in Durango still is kicking after city staff recommended holding more public meetings on the issue next month.

The Durango City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to approve the Land Use and Development Code after agreeing to remove the section on vacation rentals for more debate about how to regulate them.

Residents still spoke passionately about proposed code changes, with some residents thanking the council for allowing more time and some complaining about more public meetings in what’s been about a four-year process.

David McHenry, a member of Citizens for Healthy Established Neighborhoods, said the City Council was “kicking the can down the road.”

“I’m angry that I even have to address this tonight,” McHenry said. “I’ve got better things to do.”

There appeared to be confusion among some residents about a vacation rental proposal from last year that changed the spacing of rentals in the established neighborhoods from 500 feet to one per block face. Councilors have received more than a dozen emails and letters from concerned residents in the last week, some believing the change was much more recent.

Mayor Dick White said the extra time would help get everyone on the same page. The extension could last three months.

“We feel that it is appropriate to step back and make sure we get all of the input,” he said. “Make sure everybody understands what we’re talking about, which clearly, at the moment, we don’t. We’ve been talking at cross-purposes.”

Some residents spoke from the heart, whether supporting more vacation rentals or opposing it. Resident Karen Anesi said there are people who work in Durango who can’t find a place to rent, including city employees. Because of the tight housing stock, it’s a choice between residents and tourists.

“The issue becomes this: Who do we value more – people who live here or those who want to vacation here?” she said. “What it’s about is preserving community here.”

Krista Park, who has used her property as a vacation rental to help pay her mortgage, teared up as she explained why this community was so dear to her. Her grandfather built near Vallecito because he couldn’t afford to live in town, and her grandmother recently died.

“To stay in the community is important to me,” she said. “I don’t necessarily have the money to purchase and live downtown all the time, but this vacation rental is giving me an opportunity, if it passes, to do both.”

Councilor Christina Rinderle said vacation rentals make up just a small part of Durango’s housing stock; the real issue was the lack of affordable housing.

“I think what we need to be looking at as a council and with city planning is what are those parcels available in town to create more high-density housing projects,” she said. “That’s, I think, what’s going to alleviate this crunch.”

Councilors and staff seemed to agree that people who have operated a vacation rental without being permitted would be kicked to the end of the line.

The council almost adjourned for a break without voting on the Land Use and Development Code, needing a prompt from Greg Hoch, community development director.

“Aren’t you going to vote?” he asked.

smueller@durangoherald.com