Our Story
In 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 called, no words spoken, 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 community.
Our vision of community has been rooted in a respect for and appreciation of the natural wonders of the property. Beautiful ponderosa pine forests, sturdy stands of gambel oak, rock outcroppings covered with lichen, private draws and rugged terrain all define the property. Our efforts have been to create a community that invites 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.
Our first efforts involved eliminating the approved golf course and converting that land to 187 acres of open space. Not only did this drastically reduce impact on the land, it also allowed us to protect the more sensitive areas and weave the homes around the now protected land. Jeff Zimmerman from Design Workshop played a key role in thoughtfully laying out our roads and homesites to minimize disruption and still provide each homesite with direct access to the open spaces. Rich Carr, AIA of CCY Architects, helped develop our architectural guidelines and created the initial architectural flavor with his designs for our Community Lodge, Highland Homes and Copperhead Camp. Linda Robinson catalogued over 150 native species of plants, developed our own Edgemont seed mixture, designed our natural rock entries, and helped develop our xeric landscaping guidelines.
Today, with over 100 homes, the Edgemont Highlands community is a thriving testament to these efforts. Every day residents can be seen walking, hiking and jogging on our ten+ miles of meandering trails. The ongoing trail building efforts of Jason Aweida and Austin Gorton keep our trails in top shape. The Community Lodge, the centerpiece of the community, is becoming a hub of activity and a meeting place for neighbors.
The architectural landscape is individual and varied yet reflects a consistent, harmonious theme of fitting into the land. As a successful community should, we continue to grow and explore new ideas. Over the past several years we have drastically improved our already great catch and release fishing along over 1.5 miles of the Florida River with substantial restocking efforts in conjunction with the Division of Wildlife. We are currently exploring locations for a community garden.
I am thankful for all the creative and dedicated people who have contributed hard work and inspiration to this endeavor. It is exciting to see so many people appreciating and enjoying what this dedicated group worked so hard to create. We are a community Durango can be proud of.
Tom Gorton
Developer