Housing, ADUs, and Vacation Rentals

City of Durango Housing Initiative  Lumien Apartments Exterior Photo

Housing remains a top priority for City Council and the City of Durango wants to do their part in helping to address the housing shortage and increase affordable and workforce housing inventory with a variety of mechanisms and strategies. The Housing Initiative serves as the foundation for a housing program within the City of Durango to address the city's housing issues. 

Housing Program 

The 2022 City of Durango Strategic Plan and Operating Plan outlines short- and mid-term objectives, and identifies various initiatives and strategies including Affordability & Economic Opportunity to "Create housing to enhance multigenerational community workforce, as well as attainable and affordable housing overall." 

This led to the creation of the Housing Innovation Division and Housing Innovation Manager position to bring focused effort to addressing the housing crunch currently facing Durango. 

  • Key functions include assisting in creating, implementing and administering community housing initiatives towards the goal of maintaining and enhancing quality of life in Durango through the creation and support of affordable housing development.
  • The Durango 2018 Housing Plan (Plan) also establishes goals, priorities, and implementation measures for the Durango Housing Program and serves as the foundational document for the program.

2022 Area Median Income (often referred to as AMI%)

  1. Housing needs ▼
  2. Housing data ▼
  3. Housing incentives ▼
  4. Additional resources ▼
  5. Housing Projects

Employment Growth: Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado tracks employment and economic development in this region. Region employment is expected to exceed 60,000 jobs by 2022, including sole proprietors, according to estimates provided by Region 9 - 2022 Outlook.

Housing Analysis: The Regional Housing Needs Assessment & Strategy Study was completed in the fall of 2021 and examined the cross-dependency of housing supply and demand among jurisdictions in the region. This study took a more regional approach to housing strategies to address needs and La Plata County information includes the City of Durango, Ignacio, and the Town of Bayfield. 

  • Meeting the unmet housing needs identified in the study were require an average annual development of about 310 units, with all of these units being for permanent residents. Additional units for seasonal and vacation ownership would be in addition to these units.
  • Affordable Housing refers to a unit that has a strong, long-term deed restriction or other guarantee that the unit will be occupied by an individual or household earning 80% Area Median Income (AMI) or less.
  • Attainable/Workforce Housing refers to a unit that is not necessarily encumbered by a deed limitation but would most likely be considered accessible to someone earning between 80%-120% AMI simply by the nature of the type of development.
  • Market Rate Housing refers to a unit that has no deed limitation which means that pricing will fluctuate based on market conditions. Given the fact that no controls will be in place, staff is assuming that these units will be purchased/rented by individuals and households earning 120% of AMI or greater.

La Plata County 3-Year Workforce Housing Investment Strategy (published June 2022 prepared by Project Moxie & Capelli Consulting): This housing investment strategy prioritizes the key steps necessary to maximize the creation of housing affordable to the local workforce across La Plata County. The overarching strategy addresses rental housing, homeownership, a concerted effort to initiate a large-scale housing development the preservation of existing affordable options, and the creation of a local housing fund. Successful execution of the strategy will require coordinated action across jurisdictions and between public and private sectors. This strategy document is a tool to bridge together a network of housing strategies and it is designed for accessibility.