In a setback, La Plata County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to exit a contract to purchase four properties along U.S. Highway 160 for a managed homeless camp following the recommendation of county staff members.
Though the decision halts the most significant progress the county and city have made toward a managed camp, commissioners said they could not overlook the limitations of the site. They said they remain determined to help Durango’s unhoused community and to close Purple Cliffs ahead of next winter.
“If there was any way this could have worked, I think we could have found it,” said Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton.
In April, commissioners approved a contract to pay $1.7 million to acquire four properties in the 21000 block of U.S. Highway 160 near the Durango Dog Park totaling just over an acre to locate a managed camp.
Over the last two months, county staff members have conducted due diligence on the properties, performing environmental assessments and property surveys, touring the site and reviewing disclosures and public records.
During the analysis of the property, the county uncovered challenges that would affect development of the camp, including concerns about the floodplain of the site and an environmental covenant that would necessitate approvals from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The county has offered few additional details, but Commissioner Clyde Church explained one of the county’s concerns during Tuesday’s business meeting.
“Looking at what would be left over (for) the managed camp that could be utilized because of the floodplain encroachment, there’s just not enough room to make it worthwhile,” Church said.
County Manager Chuck Stevens has previously said that at 1.1 acres the site was the minimum size the county and its partners would want for a managed camp.
Stevens reiterated to commissioners Tuesday that county staff members recommended they terminate the contract for the properties.
“As a result of the additional information and clarity gained during the due diligence period, staff has concerns about the suitability of the property for this very specific and discrete use,” he said.
The three commissioners concurred with county staff and in their statements expressed support for the recommendation.
“I must agree with staff,” Porter-Norton said. “Believe me, I looked at every conceivable way that I could (to) find a way to disagree with this recommendation given the scarcity of sites for this particular use. It could work for another purpose, but it’s not going to work for this purpose.”
Just one person spoke during Tuesday’s meeting.
Carolyn Hunter, an architect who designed Manna’s new resource center, told commissioners that homelessness does not have a “one-size-fits-all” approach and that the discrepancy between income and housing prices is at the root of homelessness in Durango.
“We are right behind Aspen, Vail and Telluride,” she said. “... It’s not a big dip from Telluride to Durango, and this is one of the main causes of unhoused people. You can’t work 40 hours a week on a minimum wage or close to minimum wage and afford our $800,000 median housing price.”
La Plata County has been working for years to find an alternative to dispersed camping and the sprawling camp at Purple Cliffs, which the county designated in 2019 as a temporary location for Durango’s unhoused community.
The county and the city of Durango have spent recent years debating the responsibility for finding a new site, with county commissioners threatening to shut down Purple Cliffs and the city seeking an extension for the camp.
Their joint Strategic Plan on Homelessness released in January 2020 identified the need for a managed camp to address homelessness in Durango, but attempts to identify potential sites have been unfruitful.
A search by La Plata County that analyzed more than 30 properties dating back to 2015 found one county-owned property that would meet the requirements for a managed camp. But the site near the Durango Tech Center was strongly opposed by residents of the Ella Vita and Crestview neighborhoods.
The effort to find and implement a managed camp has gained little traction with the city.
La Plata County’s plan to invest $1.7 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase the properties for a managed camp site was the most concrete step either government has taken to this point.
Though the implementation of a managed camp before next winter – the deadline the county has set for closing Purple Cliffs – looks increasingly unlikely, Commissioner Matt Salka said Tuesday that the county still intends to shut down Purple Cliffs this year and that he hoped the setback would again bring the county and the city back to the table to address homelessness in Durango.
“Some of the commissioners have spoken to City Council and look forward to getting together here sooner than later to discuss, because we all need to keep moving forward, stop kicking the can down the road and find a location and solution to be able to have a managed camp here,” Salka said.
Porter-Norton added that the county remains devoted to helping Durango’s unhoused community and addressing homelessness.
“We trudge on,” she said.
ahannon@durangoherald.com
