Mancos Hills receives approval

Construction of 15-lot subdivision could start in the fall

A 15-lot subdivision is coming to 60 acres northeast of Mancos after having received approval from the Montezuma County commissioners in February.

Buyers would have the right to build two units on each lot, a primary residential unit and a secondary unit with up to 1,500 square feet, said LeeAnn Milligan planning director for the town of Mancos.

Construction of new custom houses accessed off County Road 42 could start in the fall, said Gene Bott, the project developer.

He is also the developer behind the Creekside neighborhood and Mancos Ranches.

The new subdivision, which will be called Mancos Hills, is close enough to the town’s limits to be annexed, but the requirements are too costly, Bott said.

“I can’t see how you can ask a man to do curb, gutter and sidewalks on the lots that are 3 acres,” he said.

His Creekside development required town infrastructure. Even though it started in 2007, it is still in the first of four phases that include both residential and commercial development.

“I was hoping that someone would come along and buy one of these phases,” the developer said.

Bott has completed about one to two houses a year within the first phase of the project. This section is planned to hold 22 homes.

But things are picking up now.

“It was job keeping the thing afloat. ... Now we’re getting a lot of inquiries,” he said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com