A forum was hosted on August 27th by Durango Chamber of Commerce, Business Development District and Local First and featured City of Durango staff answering questions about Downtown’s Next Step. The project aims to make downtown more walkable and bikeable, to reduce crashes and slow down traffic, and to widen sidewalks, among other goals. The forum did not appear to win over many businesses to the controversial project, according to on-the-spot polling by forum organizers.
At the meeting on the 27th, City staff said it’s not known at this time how much the project will cost, and that construction could likely begin no sooner than 2027. Design is not expected to be completed until next year.
On September 17th, Durango City Council voted to suspend construction and construction spending on Next Step but will complete the design phase so they can get an idea of construction costs.
