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ey Josh Hoppe Herald Staft Writer A development restriction near dte Durango-La Plata Airporc will remain in place af[et' a landowner's reques[ ro overturn a 23-year-old rzsohttioar was denied by La Plata Gounry commissioners. Ntel Gundersen asked commis- sioners dais week to rescind a 1977 resolution tha[ prohibited future developmen[ on a 20-au-e lot owned by Gundersen. The lo[ is just northwest of the Durango-La Plata :airport at 403 Airpor[ Road. One house already exists on the properly. His son would live in this house, and Gundersen would build a second house for himself if the resolution is eeer rescinded. 'Y'tn asking you to rescit;d the resohttion on the basis that is vras a mistake;' Gundersen said azMon- da}''s meeting. Protective covenants drawn up in 1975 b}' the original property owner, F.B. Dashner, allowed for nvo houses to be built on the 20 aa-es. Gundersen said if that were the original inteut for the property, [hen the developmen[ resuictiou P^S:' Gundersen 'said'- he 'searched through all the minutes from the meeting when the resolution was discussed and could not find any explanation of thz rationale for passing the resolution. "Nobody can explain why the resuicdon was put in other than it's a mistake,` he said. Buc commissioners said [hey were not ready [o start second- guessing the decisions of [heir pre- decessors. Commissioner Fred Klan said he was sympathetic to the Gundersens' request but had to assume commis- sioners acted wi[h full knowledge of what they were doing. Gotnmissioner Bob Lieb agreed. "guile honestly, there's not enough proof there drat a mistake was [Wade," Lieb said, "I just don't see where there's aclear-cut reason dtau this isn't what (1977 county "I'm asking you to rescind the resolution on the basis that it was a mistake.... Nobody can explain why (it) was put in.y~ Mel Gunderson, landowner near airport commiss[oner) wanted to do." The Durango-La Plata rlirport Commission did not oppose the proposed development, bu[ said i[ wants to limit residential growth around the airport Residential growth in the area could limit ah-- port expansion and require expen- sive noire mitigation mzasures, tie commission said, Gundersen, who is a pilot, said the airporz could gain from allow- ing him to build near the airport because he would grant ui avia[ion Basemen[ [hat would protect the airport Gom lawsuits over excessive noise. Neighbors said [hey did no[ zvwt.any more houses. in.rhe area because they would inerease.rraffic and go against Dashner's nhshes. Neighbor Jack Heath, who was once a partner ~.vidi Dashner, said the original intent was cc have only one house on [he property. "I just feel that we don'[ wan[ any more houses out dtere," Heath said. Neighbor John Ivice said Gun- dersen was a good neighbor, but rescinding the resoht [ion could lead to even more development in the area. Gundersen said he had scrappzd earlier plans from com- mercial uses on dte property, and one uew house would not signifi- cantly increase traffic. He vowed to keep fighting the resolution. "I think what I'm asking is rea- sonable," Gundersen said. "If I'm turned down [oday, I've got to come back." ~~