The former Big Picture High School building and a proposed underground parking garage have been scrapped from the city of Durango’s plans for a new joint city hall and police station.
Durango Police Department originally planned to move into the former Big Picture building at 215 E. 12th St. next door to the historic high school at 201 E. 12th Street that is the site of a future city hall.
Durango School District relocated its Big Picture High School out of the building at 215 E. 12th St. in 2024.
Now, according to Artaic Group’s John Usery, senior project manager, the building is planned to be demolished with a new building to be built behind the city hall site.
In a presentation to City Council, Usery said renovating the former Big Picture building and converting it into a police station would cost about as much as demolishing the building and building a new one, with the cost difference being within $1 million.
Whether the former Big Picture building is renovated or a new building is constructed, the building would need to satisfy Risk Category IV requirements of the International Building Code, he said. The earlier proposed underground parking garage would be subject to the same requirements, and that would add “significant” cost to the development.
Risk Category IV requirements designate facilities such as fire and police departments as essential facilities that must maintain structural integrity in the event of an emergency or natural disaster, according to the International Code Council.
Voters gave their blessing for the new city hall and police station in April 2025 when they approved a 30-year half-cent sales tax extension to fund the project in addition to continuing to fund maintenance, acquisitions and upgrades to parks, open space and trails.
The measure allows the city to increase its debt by $61 million, with a repayment cost of $123 million, to fund renovation and construction for the new city hall and police station.
City Manager José Madrigal said in a text message to The Durango Herald that the key components of the ballot measure remain in place as approved by voters: “a fixed budget, a city hall, police department, and historic preservation of the high school.”
He said the underground parking garage was not part of the ballot language, and eliminating it doesn’t contradict the language approved by voters.
How parking would be impacted by moving the city hall and police station to 12th Street was at the top of some residents’ minds during city meetings about the project.
The underground parking was intended to provide secure parking for police and prevent the need for additional on-street parking. The current police station at 990 East Second Ave. has a row of police vehicles lined up outside the building in on-street spaces.
Usery said the new conceptual plans include just over 80 parking spaces available on-site – about half of the total parking spaces needed to accommodate police and city staff.
Councilor Jessika Loyer asked if the project is still affordable.
Madrigal said the city had planned to sell the lots containing the current police station and the existing city hall across the street to help offset development costs for the new buildings.
The lots could be used for more parking spaces, he said.
“That’s how we can solve the capacity issue today. Obviously, we still have more time as we continue to move forward,” he said. “There may be other options that we’re looking at right now that may solve it and may open up as we go through.”
He said the city is exploring other financial opportunities to offset project costs as well.
He told the Herald the sites of the current city hall and police station are feasible alternatives for parking once staff relocate to the new site, but the city will continue to explore additional possible partnerships and parking solutions.
Usery said the surface-level parking now planned for the new police station will still be “secure” and the city hall campus will still include public gardens, interconnectivity with Buckley Park and a public alley with multimodal access.
“This design helps with the preservation of a lot of established trees on the site. It still maintains the connectivity through the site. Preserves the sled hill. And overall, integrates that park feeling with the site, incorporating quite a bit of green space and landscape elements,” he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
