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The Property |
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Our StoryIn April of 2003 I was hiking the Edgemont Highlands property in the incredible stillness of a crisp spring sunrise. No plans for the project had been drawn, no meetings, no words, not one shovel full of dirt turned. In that moment of quiet and clarity that being out in nature often provides, the vision of what Edgemont Highlands could be was suddenly clear to me. As a homebuilder for over 30 years I knew the clear distinction between a house and a home. I felt that same distinction between a subdivision and a community. Thus began the challenge and adventure of creating the Edgemont Highlands community. Our vision of community is rooted in a respect for and appreciation of the natural wonders of the property. Beautiful ponderosa pine forests, sturdy stands of scrub oak, rock outcroppings covered with lichen, private draws and rugged terrain all define the property. We wanted to create a community that would invite its members to explore and enjoy the beauty and solitude of this great property and share in our commitment to tread on it as lightly as possible. I knew I needed a lot of help. The first thing a community needs are people and to my surprise and good fortune I found a terrific group who share this vision and were anxious to be involved. Jeff Zimmerman of DesignWorkshop joined as our land planner, working with Mike Russell and his staff at Russell Engineering. Rich Carr of Cottle Carr Yaw Architects became the architect to help design and integrate our first homes and the community lodge into the natural landscape and to help us develop our important architectural guidelines. Linda Robinson started cataloging the natural plants, designing our entryways and helped to develop our xeric landscaping guidelines.
We were off and running. Our first acts were to eliminate the previously approved golf course and commit that acreage to open space. With almost 40% dedicated open space we are better able to protect and avoid development in the more rugged and wild areas, which works well for both habitat protection and the creation of private trails. We then reduced the density to be more in keeping with a residential community rather than a golf resort. Our goal is to have every lot back to open space and have quick access to our trail system. Our hiking and walking trails are the backbone of the community’s access to the open areas. The common areas adjacent to homes generally have a more gentle slope. The trails in these areas are well defined and offer easier walking on wood chips generated from the site. The more rugged areas have more “natural” trails like those found in our national forests. Jason Aweida leads our trail building crew and gives his thoughtful touch to the terrain. As the project has gained momentum we have continued to add team members who share our vision and help implement new ideas to make the community better. Mary Ellen Long, nationally acclaimed local environmental artist, is enhancing our extensive trail system with a series of natural sculptures. We have recycled the vast majority of the trees we have removed to allow for road building, using them as liners and chips for part of our trail system. We have also milled the larger trees onsite into lumber for our homes. All of the initial homes being built are certified Built Green and Energy Star rated and we encourage others to follow this lead. Our community lodge is now complete and we are booking more and more community functions. The great room, patios and BBQ area provide wonderful settings for a variety of functions, from a cozy book club meeting in front of the fireplace to a catered party for a hundred or more. We were most fortunate to have the steady late summer rains which helped grow in the lodge's landscaping. Next season we will complete the "demonstration garden" portion of the project by identifying all of the xeric plantings and by creating an educational element to help residents with their landscaping as an ongoing part of our water conservation commitment. We have covered a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time. As Edgemont Highlands starts to evolve and unfold I am thankful for all the people who have contributed hard work and inspiration to this endeavor. And, with more and more people moving into their new homes, we are quickly becoming a new community. It is exciting to see so many people enjoying what this dedicated group has worked so hard to create. Truly, we are becoming a community that Durango can be proud of.
Tom Gorton
Tom Gorton has been involved in the construction business since 1961 when he first worked in his father’s supply house business. Tom D. Gorton Construction, Inc. has been building quality custom homes since 1972. A love of the mountains and appreciation of the benefits of a smaller community led to the relocation of the company to Durango in 1993. Prior to the Edgemont Highlands project, the company completed the development and construction of over 40 homes and lots in Durango. Our 34 year background in building custom homes in numerous types of developments has given us invaluable experience in learning what makes a home special and what people want in the community in which they live. This experience has proven to be invaluable in creating the Edgemont Highlands Community. |
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