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Amenities & Improvements

Modern Amenities in the Heart of the Wilderness

Durango Mountain Resort has the infrastructure and amenities you would expect in a modern facility even though we are surrounded by national forest and wilderness.

Vehicular Access and Roadways
Access to the resort’s villages, neighborhoods, and stations will be provided by a series of four major intersections off Highway 550. All streets and roads within the resort are paved and curbed and will serviced by the Purgatory Metropolitan District. A vehicular and pedestrian underpass will connect the development on either side of the highway to minimize the need for crossing Highway 550.

Water
Water service is currently provided by the Purgatory Metropolitan District which will gradually expand their service territory to cover the entire community.  Over 500 taps remain on the existing well and storage system. Three distinct water sources exist for future water supply, each with sufficient water for project buildout. These include the Purgatory Creek (front side) aquifer groundwater wells, Cascade aqueduct surface water and Hermosa Park (backside) aquifer groundwater. Durango Mountain Resort has significant water rights to dedicate to the Metro District in order to provide a sufficient water supply from a combination of these sources and meet project buildout.

Sewer
The Metro District also provides sewer service to the resort and will gradually expand its service territory to cover the entire community. Over 500 taps remain on the existing lagoon-based system. The developer and the Metro District will build a new state-of-the-art tertiary mechanical treatment plant located on the bench below the Cascade substation. This will allow the existing treatment ponds to be converted to a second freshwater pond (and snowmaking water storage) within the community park and provide return flows to minimize net depletions to the water supplies listed above.

Electric
Electric service is provided by La Plata Electric Association which has indicated that the existing sub-stations have sufficient capacity to service the entire project. Additional distribution lines will be extended and some existing overhead lines will be put underground.

Telephone, Cable, Internet and Propane
Voice, video, internet, and gas distribution services are provided by Durango Mountain Utilities. State of the art communication services are delivered via looped infrastructure comprised of coaxial and fiberoptic lines that deliver redundant, high-speed transmission. The propane distribution system is being constructed to service the entire community and promote safety, limit the proliferation of unsightly tanks, and allow for the conversion to natural gas when it becomes available in the North County.

Fire
Fire protection is currently provided by the Durango Fire and Rescue Authority, which is stationed in existing firehouse facilities in the center of Durango Mountain Resort near the future community park area. A fire impact fee has been established to provide a new station and the necessary fire equipment as the project grows.

Police and Security
Police protection is currently provided by the La Plata County Sheriff’s Department. This service will be enhanced with a substation in the new fire station mentioned above. In addition, the Durango Mountain Master (Homeowner’s) Association will provide security as necessary for community residents and commercial tenants.

Parks and Recreation
In addition to the Community Park and the mountain amenities that constitute the project’s main active recreation areas, the community will also feature:

  • Neighborhood fitness centers, community centers, pools and spas located in commercial space and/or community buildings within many of the villages or neighborhoods.
  • A summer tent/amphitheater for festivals and performances slopeside at Purgatory Village.
  • A community-wide trail network that connects to the western mountain trails, the eastern valley trails, and the aqueduct trail to the north and south.
  • Cross country ski trails and neighborhood access trails leading from all residential neighborhoods to and from the Community Park and to trails on adjoining Forest Service lands.
  • Public trailheads in the Gelande parking lot, in the Community Park, at the Forest Service road, and elsewhere as necessary to provide reasonable, yet controlled, public access to the trail system.

Community services
Community services such as meeting halls, churches, and county service offices will be located in the community park or in the various commercial parcels as demand dictates.

Implementation
Ongoing governance of the community is managed by the Durango Mountain Master Association (DMMA) as well as various individual homeowners associations. A master set of design guidelines has been created to ensure architectural, site, landscape, signage, lighting and related controls with individual supplements for the special circumstances of each neighborhood/village. DMMA’s real estate transfer tax, lodging and sales tax will be used to build and operate many of the community’s recreational amenities keeping member dues reasonable. Improvement districts, subdistricts, and/or other funding mechanisms may also be employed as necessary.