Concerned Citizens of Pagosa Springs are calling on the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to retract nearly $1.9 million in grant funds awarded in 2024 for the proposed Pagosa West development.
View the online petition here: https://chng.it/kNvkP7zg9L
The grant application submitted by the Town of Pagosa Springs represented that the project would include both “affordable housing” and a new County Administration Building. The County Administration Building, however, has been relocated closer to the courthouse and jail, leaving the Pagosa West site without any public facilities.
Additionally, the development site remains privately owned and listed for sale by EXIT Realty, also a listed grant partner in the application. The developer does not have title, subdivision approval, or site control.
DOLA’s own “More Housing Now” guidance requires projects to be shovel-ready with site control and entitlements — standards the Pagosa West project does not meet.
The application further described the housing as “affordable,” but the project is, in fact, proposed as “workforce housing”- targeting higher Area Median Income (AMI) levels, with uncertain or minimal deed restrictions. This change excludes many lower-income residents the funds were intended to serve.
Meanwhile, Pagosa Springs faces urgent infrastructure needs:
- $80–$100 million in sewage system replacement shortfalls
- drought restrictions from PAWSD
- underfunded road maintenance
- deteriorating school facilities
- growing wildfire insurance crises
The petition calls on DOLA to claw back the $1.9 million state-funded grant for the speculative development, conduct a full accounting of how funds have been used, and ensure future awards align with statutory requirements and true public benefit.
Contact ArchuletaOutreach@gmail.com for further information.