South Main Then, now and in the future

Page 14 — Thursday, December 27, 2012 — The Chaffee County Times
Thursday, December 27, 2012 — The Chaffee County Times — Page 15
THE CENTERPIECE
South Main
Continued from page 13
“
“
… if someone had told
me how hard it was going
to be, I’d probably still be in
a van down by the river.”
– Jed Selby
on the 41-acre parcel of land for sale in
Buena Vista after hearing a time-share
developer was hoping to buy it and close
public access to the river. At the time, it
was a landfill.
The Selbys were able to buy the land
and turned over the three-acre river corridor and waterfront to the town to keep
it open to the public. Then they began
holding public meetings and started the
public approval process to get the ball
rolling on the development.
“Here we were, just out of college, go-
South Main Co.
Snow caps the Collegiate Peaks in the background of this 2006 photo taken
early in the construction phase.
2004
Katie writes grant, on the
town’s behalf, for the first
phase of the river park’s
construction.
Every single detail we use can be found
on buildings on the west side of town.”
The tile work
on the outdoor room
furniture, as
seen in this
2008 photo,
was created
by Jed and
Katie Selby’s
mother and
remains a fixture in South
Main.
ing through the entitlement process, trying to find planners,
getting bids coming in,” Katie said.
For many recent college graduates,
the hurdles of a development process
might seem too daunting to attempt, but
Katie said she found it to be a valuable
learning experience.
“I found it very inspirational,” she
said. “Of course it has been stressful
keeping up with a project this big, and
with a real estate recession it’s not been
easy. It’s been a challenging thing to do,
but I’m glad we did it. I’m very, deeply
proud.”
The construction of South Main and
the whitewater park created two town
destinations that didn’t exist before, Jed
said, and added that the town benefits
from the increase in tourists and tax
dollars they attract.
“But if someone had told me how hard
it was going to be,” he quipped, “I’d
probably still be in a van down by the
river.”
The South Main ‘feel’
Public input meetings for
the development and river
park are held.
Then, now and in the future
South Main Co.
study business administration at Fort
Lewis College and graduated magna
cum laude.
“I knew I liked Durango, but I didn’t
want to live in the suburbs,” Jed said.
His love of the valley stemmed from
his first experience kayaking the Arkansas River in 1996. He traveled the
country and beyond on the pro kayaking
circuit, becoming ranked in the freestyle
category and competing on the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team three times.
Jed moved to in Salida in 2001 and
Katie followed soon after in 2002. While
living there, Jed says he came to the
realization that there are two kinds of
places people choose to live — walkable
and drivable.
“I realized Salida was walkable. I
could walk from my home to go kayaking,” he said. “There are not many
places with walkable amenities so close
to nature.”
Salida also had a public waterfront,
a feature that left an impression on the
kayakers.
“I’ve never been to a cool town that
didn’t have a public waterfront,” Jed
said.
The two were interested in design, especially new movements in sustainability,
green construction and New Urbanism—
which puts emphasis on creating walkable neighborhoods. Jed said he became
a “fanatic observer,” noticing tiny design
details everywhere he went.
In 2002, Jed and Katie decided to bid
2003
THE CENTERPIECE
In designing South Main, the Selbys
hoped to create a timeless look that
would stay in style, favoring principles of traditional architecture to help
achieve that look.
“Places with strong architectural
identity have value,” Jed said. “I hope
that someone someday can look at a
picture of South Main and say, ‘Oh, of
course, that’s BV.’”
To tie the character of the neighborhood to the rest of town, the architecture in South Main was based on traditional architecture in the area, albeit
with “a fresh twist,” as Katie said.
“Every single detail we use can be
found on buildings on the west side of
town,” Jed said.
Design elements paying homage to
the surrounding natural features have
– Jed Selby
Meet Jed
Age 34
Hometown Tucson, Ariz.
Family Married with a
one-year-old daughter
Last book read
“Walkable City How
Downtown Can Save
America, One Step at a
Time” by Jeff Speck
Favorite music Grateful
Dead
Favorite food Pizza
Favorite movie Talledega Nights is pretty darn
funny
Favorite artist
Michelangelo
Favorite quote
“Without love in the dream
it will never come true” Jerry Garcia
Courtesy photo
Hobbies Rock climbing,
Jed Selby, his wife Kennley and their
kayaking and stand-up
daughter Amelie Rose on a recent trip
paddling
to Moab, Utah.
South Main Co.
“
The street level view shows the close-knit community inherent to a walkability-style community.
How absolutely amazing is it that we can take our kids to school, play at the river park,
go shopping, climb/bike/hike, visit friends, and finish off the day at Eddyline enjoying
pizza and locally crafted beer, and do all of this without getting in the car? That is an experience far too many people in America miss out on.”
– Phillip Puckett, South Main resident and member of the Buena Vista Board of Trustees
also been incorporated. For instance,
river rock dug up in construction is later
used to create cobblestone-style paths,
chimneys, and other building features.
Banisters are sometimes made from
chair-lift cable and subtle wave patterns can be found in the features of the
homes.
“We draw elements from various
styles, but it is usually based on the
desires of the client,” Jed said. “We continue to scrutinize our work, down to all
the details, to see what works and what
doesn’t.”
South Main Co. broke ground on its
first home in 2007 and residents began
to move in. The draw, Jed said, was the
neighborhood’s proximity to both the
town and the outdoor recreation opportunities that surround it.
See South Main, Page 16
2005
2007
2008
Funds from Great Outdoors
Colorado (GOCO) are used
to construct three whitewater features in the river
park.
South Main Co. breaks
ground on their first home.
Katie and husband Dustin
Urban, write a second GOCO
grant to fund two rock
climbing boulders in South
Main’s square and two more
whitewater features in the
river park.
South Main Co.
Meet Katie
Age 36
Hometown Tucson, Ariz.
Family Married to Dustin
Urban with two kids, ages
2 and 4.
Last book read
“People of the Book” by
Geraldine Brooks
Favorite music Bluegrass
Favorite food All
kinds of international
cuisine
Favorite movie Avatar
Favorite artist Ed
Courtesy photo
Mell
Favorite quote “Be the Katie Urban and her daughter Lila pose
for a recent photo in South Main.
change you wish to see
in the world.” – Mahatma
Ghandi
Hobbies Sewing, gardening, tiling murals and furniture, mountain
biking, kayaking, stand-up paddling, being a mother
The river park walking path now enjoyed by South Main neighbors, many Buena Vista-area residents as well as visitors was a tangled web of undergrowth
when the project started.
2009-10
2012
Climbing boulders installed, South Main opens new
new river park improveriverside venue, The Beach,
ments installed.
with a free summer concert
series.
Future
Diversify with rentals and
property management.
Tentative plans to get
involved in hospitality.
South Main By the Numbers
$20
million in
construction
since 2005
7
60
businesses opened
new jobs created
75
500+
41
full-time residents
trees
planted
acres