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Expansion geared toward financial solvency

Durango Mountain Resort needs to expand, according to CEO Gary Derck. So, in order to keep up with rival ski resorts, DMR has unveiled a 20-year master plan that envisions a mix of townhomes, single-family homesites, and hotel and shop space. In total, 1,649 units are planned as well as 410,000 square feet of new commercial space.

The ambitious proposal encompasses a total of 612 acres and centers around six villages that include: Purgatory Village, a hotel, executive homesite, lodge and townhome expansion of the existing base area; Base Camp Village, new hotel development immediately north and west of the existing base area; Engineer Village, executive homesites on the west side of Highway 550; Tacoma Village, standard and executive homesites and townhomes centered on a communal park located in the vicinity of the current nordic center and fire station; Boyce Lake Village, an exclusive village of estate homesites north of Tacoma that could include an equestrian center; and Grayrock Village, a purely residential and townhome grouping adjoining Highway 550 to the east.

According to Derck, the primary purpose of the proposed expansion is to make the resort financially solvent. “The resort’s been operating on a subsidy basis for several years,” he says. Derck said that resorts like DMR that typically do 300,000 skier days a year tend to need a bigger bed base, something DMR is lacking right now.

Derck adds that beds are not the only thing missing at Durango Mountain Resort.

“You’ve got to bring in people, and in order to get them to spend a week, you’ve got to have activities, amenities and beds,” he said.

Derck also is quick to note that the existing base area is not in the best shape. “If you look underneath the paint, there’s been a lot of deferred maintenance,” he says.

Another rationale for the expansion, according to Derck, is that the development fulfills La Plata County’s prescription for the area around the resort. He points to a regional plan that calls for clustering of development near the Purgatory base area and Tamarron, areas north of Durango that already have infrastructure in place.

“La Plata County has always planned for this zone to have ski area development,” Derck says. “We’re trying to play the role that county planners envisioned for the north county.”




 

 

 

 

 


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