On April 1, the Pagosa Springs Town Council received an update on the riverfront property located at 1040 East U.S. 160 that it approved the purchase of in November 2024.
The four-acre parcel, which formerly housed Bob’s L.P., is currently being leased by Basin Coop.
The main reason for the town’s acquisition of the property is to expand boater and recreational access to the San Juan River near downtown Pagosa Springs.
The purchase will also facilitate the development of the East Gateway River Park Project.
Mayor Shari Pierce called the acquisition “the best land purchase that we have made” during her time on council, “because we secured this using grants and Conservation Trust Fund money, so none of our tax money went to this. So, I just think that is wonderful.”
The town was awarded a state-level Great Outdoors Colorado grant, as well as a federal-level Land, Water, Conservation Fund grant, for a total sum of $882,098 in grant award money going toward the property.
In addition, the town and Archuleta County’s Conservation Trust funds, in the total combined amount of $80,000, will also go toward the property and property improvements.
Development Director James Dickhoff explained that the town and county’s Conservation Trust funds “are funds that come to us from the state, and they are truly meant to be spent on recreation and park facilities,” adding that the river park being proposed on the property is the “perfect use of these funds.”
The purchase price of the property stands at $740,000, and the town’s total funding secured for the property amounts to $962,098, with the closing date currently expected on or before April 21.
Pierce asked, since the town “received more grants than the cost of the property,” if the extra $222,000 would go toward the “completion of some of the amenities” of the river park, including bathrooms, a boater ramp and parking.
Dickhoff explained that the extra money would be applied to “the design,” or “finding a consultant to work with us on the design of the property, and we’ll finish the environmental work and some of the other items and try to get all of that done by this year.”
He noted that the town would also need an access parking permit from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), but that the cost of this would be “minimal.”
He added the main costs would really come from “the means of designing that [parking] lot to ensure we have functionality with boats, with trailers coming in and dropping off and a functional exit,” adding that some of this would stem from CDOT’s feedback.
An agenda document states, “The remaining $222,098 will be expensed on the completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and all applicable permitting, including a CDOT access permit and an Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) Nationwide Permit, as well as phase one site improvements that include site cleanup, refinement of park improvement designs, parking area enhancements, and the installation of a boat ramp for public river access.”
Even if the project is not all the way completed, the town still might open it up for public boater access by the 2026 boater season, Dickhoff noted, but that it would depend on when the town gets “reimbursed for those grants.”
With future funding (from other grants), future phases of park construction could include “an expansion of the Riverwalk” that could “interface” with the existing town Riverwalk and the portion of river walkway constructed by the “river domes to the east,” Dickhoff said.
This river property has been on the town’s radar for at least 15 years and was part of the town-adopted River Corridor Master Plan, which included it as part of its vision for river access from this particular property site to Yamaguchi Park, Dickhoff explained.
“In that plan, we had identified this very property as a future boater access point to the river, so it’s been in our long-range mind for a while,” he said.
Council member Gary Williams added, “I’m really happy that this is going forward, and I appreciate all of the staff’s work who have been involved with this.”
Council member Brooks Lindner suggested that the land purchase is a “great acquisition” for the town and that he is excited to see the river park.
Town Manager David Harris added, “A lot of TLC” went into gathering the resources to acquire this property, with Harris thanking Dickhoff for all of his work on the project.
Council member Leonard Martinez said that “using other people’s money to create assets for the community — I’ve always felt really good about that.”
Dickhoff explained the town would be flexible with the current leaseholder on the property, Basin Coop, and would work out an arrangement for it to stay and operate on the property until the town is ready to break ground on the project.
So far, the town has conducted a phase one environmental site assessment, which turned up “no glaring concerns contained within the report,” the agenda document states.
The town has also conducted an inspection of the existing buildings on the property, and the report from this inspection shows that the office building, a D-log structure, shows “typical rotting on the lower portions of the exterior walls.”
The report also states, “The interior would require substantial remodeling for code compliance associated with a change of use to a public restroom/changing facility.”
Dickhoff explained that the remodeling costs could easily reach the same amount as a new structure, pointing to the possibility of building a brand-new restroom facility at the park.
Pierce thanked the county for its contribution.
Later in the meeting, she also sought to clarify some public sentiment that suggested that the town is spending $1 million on the property.
She explained that is not true, and that the money for the purchase and site upgrades were coming entirely from grant and Conservation Trust funding, reiterating that this was one of the “very best land purchases” during her tenure on the council.
derek@pagosasun.com
