Whole lotta nothin'

Put your picket signs away: Durango is safe from Whole Foods, at least for now.

According to a news release from the City of Durango on Monday, the owners of the Durango Mall and the Kensington Development Group have dissolved an agreement that would have brought a “national organic grocery store” and up to 270 rental apartments to the 20-acre mall property. 

“The notification was sent to the city's Community Development Department by the mall’s legal counsel, Newbold Chapman & Geyer PC, who wrote that the mall has withdrawn its authorization necessary for Kensington to pursue a development and use application with the city,” read the release.

The notice did not state the reason for the termination, which was effective Jan. 8.

The plan, which called for demolishing and revamping much of the mall and adding new commercial space, including the aforementioned grocery store, was met with opposition from some residents and small-business owners. Although the national chain’s name was never revealed, it was believed to be Whole Foods, which has been an anchor store in other Kensington developments.

Originally built in the early 1980s, the Durango Mall property is owned by Richard Rathbun, of Danville, Calif., who operates under Durango Mall LLC and Out Landish LLC. The two entities were registered with the Colorado Secretary of State in 1995 and 2006, respectively.

The project was first revealed at a City of Durango Community Development Commission study session Dec. 4. Kensington Development Partners is a real estate development firm with offices in Denver and Oak Brook, Ill. Several residents and small-business owners spoke out against  the project, particularly the prospect of a Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, at a Dec. 8 Urban Renewal Authority meeting. Many argued the store would create unfair competition and amount to tax subsidies for a billionaire.

“I object to having a big-box grocery store such as Whole Foods, because I don’t believe they will plow anything back into Durango,” Karen Zink, whose family owns the nearby Sunnyside Farms Market and Purple Cliffs building, said. “I object to Jeff Bezos and Amazon getting a tax break to come in here and theoretically put the rest of us out of business – or certainly at risk.”