Photo: Community members protest the proposed Pagosa West development at the Pagosa Springs Town Hall, March 2025.
Below are comments on the proposed uptown Pagosa West development, which I strongly oppose. The only positive element of this proposed development is construction of workforce housing.
None of the businesses listed in the Sketch Subdivision Documents at mypagosa.org are needed in uptown, which already has 3 gas stations (City Market, Speedway, Marathon), 3 banks (TBK, First Southwest, Bank of Colorado), a carwash (Cowboy), 3 indoor storage businesses (Pagosa Office and Storage, A Affordable Storage, Best Value Storage), 5 hotels/motels (Alpine Inn, Hillside Inn, WorldMark Hotel, Club Wyndam Pagosa, West End Lodge) and 3 groceries (Walmart, City Market, Dollar General) adjacent to, just across 160 or within blocks of the proposed development site. The development should be limited to workforce housing at the east end of the 100 acres near the new apartments and elementary school, and the entire old growth forest should become a city or county park to preserve this scenic area (see Sharon Carter’s letter to the editor, Pagosa Sun, posted May 4, 2025).
Any additional businesses needed by the community in this area can go across Highway 160 to the larger City Market area, which has a number of vacant lots.
The proposed high density housing and apartment buildings (on top of the high density apartments being constructed just west of Walmart), as well as the allowance of 3-story heights (not present in buildings across 160 in the larger City Market area), are inconsistent with the low density residential area south of the proposed development and in uptown generally, and will be detrimental due to increased noise and traffic congestion, compromising mountain views of current residents in this area, destruction of the old growth forest better suited to becoming a park, and potential higher crime rates associated with high density housing. The proposed subdivision may hurt property values of nearby residents, and force people who moved into a quiet, scenic rural subdivision to move elsewhere to avoid a far-less-than-scenic business development.
Addition of two larger hotels covering over 4 acres and a larger grocery store (1.7 acres) will significantly increase traffic, which can already be backed up on this part of 160 during rush hour (the developer’s website at https://pagosawest.com/ cites “daily traffic count 20,000” as a positive feature). Increased traffic along South Pagosa Blvd. will be detrimental to those of us that use this street for biking or running; substantially increased traffic along this stretch of 160 will be detrimental to everyone.
Siting more businesses along 160, such as another gas station, another storage facility etc. will make this end of town look more like the outskirts of Farmington than a scenic mountain town.
The developer’s website suggests that the major objective of this subdivision (besides making a profit for the developer and realtors) is growth rather than need: “Welcome to Pagosa West. A Vision for Community and Growth.” It has an image, apparently intended to get people/businesses to move to Pagosa, that is similar to the beautiful forested area that will be destroyed by this development. Given the semi-rural nature, beautiful setting and pleasant low density living in Pagosa Springs currently enjoyed by residents, this development (and future developments, if it goes forward) will come at the expense of all of these positive lifestyle attributes, and will add high density living problems many of us moved here to avoid.
Creating a metro district in Pagosa Springs to tax residents to help fund such a development only adds insult to future injury.
For the above reasons this project should not be approved; any building in this area should be limited to the only real current need associated with the project, workforce housing, at a lower density than proposed. Most of the 100 acres, including the western part of the area, should be rezoned to instead become a city or county park (like the well-used and much appreciated Cloman Park), preserving the old growth forest and not ruining this end of town. Such a park across South Pagosa from the medical center would also be beneficial for those in workforce housing as well as the entire community.
This development train should go back to the station.
Dave Anderson
Pagosa Springs, CO