Since 1000 A.D. when the ancient Puebloans soaked in the geothermal waters as a spiritual rite, people have enjoyed what is now Trimble Spa & Natural Hot Springs on County Road 203.
Its listing at $3.95 million with 65 acres of developable land leaves the surrounding area vulnerable to both commercial and residential developments. But that was always the plan.
Ruled by the Animas Valley land-use plan, the package includes the business and its water rights on 7.89 acres, an additional 1.7 acres of undeveloped commercial property and 55 acres of vacant residential land, which sits on a bluff above the springs that boasts an Animas Valley view.
The property was listed after one of 16 stakeholders with claims to the springs died and another major investor relocated because of health problems. The two owned 75 percent of the property.
A limited liability company purchased the spa and hot springs in 2006 along with the 1.7-acre parcel south of Trimble, which was rezoned from residential to commercial.
“Their plans were to put a boutique hotel at the commercial site and some other possible commercial development,” Keller Williams broker Don Ferris said. “People interested in it are also looking at condos or apartments with the shortage of rental housing in Durango. If their plans were to upgrade the spa and hot springs, there is room for expansion. Or they could do a hotel and restaurant.”
The 55-acre parcel allows 3-acre minimum single-family lots, where as many as 16 units could be built. Ferris said there is potential for a private, gated community, and he plans to meet with the Falls Creek Ranch Homeowners Association to discuss joint utility partnerships.
Trimble has had some 30 prospective buyers since it was listed in September 2015, including a developer who owns five hotels in New Mexico and wants to reconfigure the property into a resort spa with hotel rooms.
The springs opened as a commercial enterprise in 1874, changed hands frequently and, at various points in time, included two hotels, a dude ranch and a nightclub. Frank Trimble built a two-story hotel in 1882, which burned to the ground 10 years later.
After World War II, new ownership opened the dude ranch, which attracted the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. But fire struck again in 1957, and Trimble remained closed for 30 years until it was purchased by the family of Ruedi Bear.
In light of the property’s perish-by-fire history, Bear believed it to be cursed and invited the late Eddie Box Sr., a Southern Ute spiritual leader, to say a blessing at the reopening.
In 2006, investor Patrick McIvor formed an LLC to purchase the springs with the help of local broker Geof Schlittgen. The group had big plans for the lot, though Schlittgen at the time pledged at least a portion of the springs would remain open to the public.
“I saw tremendous potential that had not been realized yet,” said Schlittgen, who is no longer involved with the Trimble property. “The intent was to develop a world-class spa and build a hotel along the lines of the historic hotels that had been there in the past, with the designs of the old San Francisco hotels at the turn of the century, with real Western flair. But I also wanted to focus on retaining local access because it’s a tremendous local amenity.”
Schlittgen said divergent ideas among the stakeholders coupled with the Great Recession put plans on the back burner.
Business has been profitable at Trimble for the past two years. Net income in 2015 was $174,591, compared to $147,445 in 2014. And nearby lodging could attract more business from tourists who come to ski.
General manager Fran Dooan said she views the sale as a “win-win” with positive potential for Trimble.
“I’ve tried to alleviate any fear for our employees,” she said. “There is a need for new investors to take it to the next level. There is a lot of additional property, but the hope is that they maintain the spa and springs and the property is opened up to new opportunity.”
jpace@durangoherald.com