Tractor Supply Co. will be coming to Bayfield in the not-to-distant future.

The store, which has more than 2,200 locations nationwide – including south Durango – will be adding a 21,000-square-foot facility at 370 Bayfield Center Drive. Aside from tractor retail, Tractor Supply has animal feed products and do-it-yourself items.

Nicol Killian, Bayfield’s community development director, said there is a growing need for a store like Tractor Supply in the area, especially after the town’s feed store in the Gem Village neighborhood closed.

“This opens up an opportunity for Bayfield to shop local and not have to spend their money elsewhere,” she said.

That means Bayfield farmers and other residents who need animal feed or lawn work supplies won’t have to venture to Tractor Supply’s south Durango and Pagosa Springs locations.

Killian said residents won’t have to worry about driving a half-hour each way to get supplies, spending a bit extra money on gasoline or getting stuck in traffic around Durango.

And of course, there’s an economic plus side for the town.

“Something like this brings sales tax to the community. That’s really important,” Killian said.

The town of Bayfield began looking into acquiring the store about a year ago. The town is finalizing the land-use plan review involving utilities and survey work, and it will issue a building permit once that process is done, Killian said.

If everything goes according to plan, Killian said the goal is to begin construction later this spring and wrap up by the end of 2024.

The new location will be 370 Bayfield Center Drive, across the street from the Pine River Library.

Killian said the store will be accessible to not only in-town residents, but also the Forest Lakes neighborhood and those with land in the eastern section of La Plata County.

mhollinshead@durangoherald.com