Plan for Durango's Purgatory Village Approved

Durango, CO Oct. 5, 2004 – The renovation and expansion plan for the base village at Durango Mountain Resort received final approval from the Board of County Commissioners yesterday, Monday, October 4. With 641 residential units and 170,000+/- feet of commercial space, Purgatory Village is the most comprehensive of the six resort villages approved in 2002. Purgatory Village is the third individual village to receive approval, joining Engineer Village and Tacoma Village, where a variety of single-family homesites and townhomes are currently under construction.

The renovation of Purgatory Village is a critical component of the new 25-year Master Plan at DMR. According to resort CEO Gary Derck, “This approval is a crucial step towards redevelopment and revitalization of the existing Purgatory Village and the base of our ski mountain. The way is now clear for the finalization of plans to offer a wide array of additional skier services, shops, restaurants, a club, a spa and a mixture of ski-in/ski-out residences over the next few years, making Purgatory Village a lively place to spend time in any of the four seasons.”

Highlights of the plan include the Purgatory Lodge project, a multi-phase base lodge including skier services and residential units set to revitalize the base area plaza and Purgatory’s famous slopeside ‘beach’. Lodging guests will benefit from the new accommodations, facilities and recreational amenities. Locals will benefit from the expanded parking in the Gelande Parking Lot, the new Gelande Day Lodge, and the new Gelande Lift, which will take skiers directly to the top of the mountain. With the improvements, Purgatory Village and Durango Mountain Resort will continue to emerge as a full-service resort community.

The Purgatory Village renovation is unique in that all proposed residential units have ski-in/ski-out access. Over the next few years, a selection of both fractional and whole ownership ski-in/ski-out properties will be offered, including condominiums, townhomes and single-family homes with dramatic views of the surrounding mountain ranges and a special neighborhood of homesites that features direct snowmobile in/out access. Derck added, “I don’t know of any other homesite offerings where an owner can have a snowmobile parked in the garage, pull it out and go riding all the way to Rico via Hermosa Park – with no trailering. The variety and mix of ski-in/ski-out real estate offerings will truly be one-of-a-kind.”

Current plans call for several Purgatory Village projects to break ground next summer once platting and detailed designs are approved. Several builders already have projects in the design stage for next summer, and DMR is welcoming inquiries from other builders and developers interested in getting in on the ground floor of this project.

For more information on the plans for Purgatory Village and development opportunities, please contact Cathy Craig at 970-385-2198 or visit www.durangomountainrealty.com.