La Plata County landowners were split this week about the city of Durango’s level of transparency and communication related to La Posta Road development plans.
At a special meeting Monday, City Council discussed accusations by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe that the city is trying to illegally seize land within the tribe’s reservation boundaries by annexing private properties. It reviewed the history of the La Posta Road area project and discussed next steps for the project south of city limits.
Some property owners said the city hasn’t communicated with them about plans for La Posta Road (County Road 213) and related to SUIT’s concerns. Others showed support for the city.
Many of them worried about the implications of proposed legislation that could affect their ability to develop their properties by linking them to city services.
City resident and La Posta area property owner Dale Kneller said the city has been good at engaging the community and the county.
He said La Posta Road was identified years ago as a strong candidate for light industrial development and the idea has gradually grown to include workforce housing elements.
Miller said he was taken by surprise three weeks ago to learn a bill was presented in the state Legislature to require any land annexations within the boundary of a reservation to be approved by that tribe.
“I feel like there’s been very good discussion with the city and the county, community meetings,” he said.
Many La Posta area landowners have been in “lockstep” in supporting annexation and development of private property there, he said. Their property might exist within tribal boundaries, but it is the property owners’ private land, he said.
SB-193 would simply require property owners to obtain consent from the tribe, which raises property rights concerns, he said.
“We as landowners would be required to obtain that consent. If they simply don’t give it or ignore it, we don’t have the consent, we can’t be annexed by the city of Durango or any other privately owned land within the tribal boundary,” he said.
He said 1984 legislation referenced by the tribe last week and by the city on Monday was clearly drafted “to avoid costly and lengthy litigation,” but private property owners would be faced with just that if the proposed bill passes.
Another La Posta area property owner said buzz words such as “collaborative,” “cooperative,” “building public trust” and “engaging diverse opinions” don’t have much effect on some La Posta area residents and landowners.
“We’ve been shut out of this process for the last 14 months. We’ve met with the city councilors. I think we’ve gotten a polite pat on the head. That’s as far as things have gone. I’m not sure why we’re frozen out of the process. We live there,” the resident said, whose name was inaudible during a livestream of the hearing.
He said he can understand SUIT’s concerns, and when the city sees dollar signs, “that’s all that matters.”
Durango resident Blake Fredrickson said he’d like to know about the city’s and the tribe’s history with the development of Three Springs and if there is perhaps “bad blood” or a “skeleton in the closet.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect last name for Dale Kneller.
