Owners acquire River Run Cabins, plan to add employee housing

When Jason and Amber Perkins rolled into the San Juans in an RV and bought a narrow rectangle of land sandwiched between U.S. Highway 550 and the Uncompahgre River in 2015, the new parents were looking to escape the corporate world. Purchasing the Ouray RV Park and Cabins and Ouray Cafe fit that goal — a place where they could operate a small business and raise their family in a house just feet away from the cafe.

They had no vision for adding real estate at the time. But later, the opportunity arose. They purchased Riverside Inn and Cabins just to the north of the RV park in 2020 and remodeled and expanded the rooms and convenience store.

And now, with the recent purchase of the River Run Cabins, the Perkinses’ goal is to not only meet the needs of tourists, but their own workers by providing employee housing.

The couple bought the 1.5-acre property at 1822 Main St. — just to the north of the former Riverside Inn property — in January for $1.295 million, according to Ouray County public records. All the properties now operate under the umbrella of Ouray Riverside Resort.

The deal came together quickly. The previous owners of River Run Cabins, Robert and Andria Owen, approached Jason and Amber in October and asked if they were interested in the property. The couple, who bought the land and business in 2018, was ready to retire.

For the Perkinses, the acquisition consolidates land ownership in the north corridor of Ouray. For many years, the Griggers family owned much of the property along Highway 550 at the north end of town.

“As we continue to grow, we’ve been trying to put the pieces of that original property back together,” Amber said. “It was just a perfect opportunity for us to do that, especially because it matches our current business model.”

The former River Run Cabins property consists of six cabins that were remodeled in 2020 and will continue to be rented on a nightly basis.

“They are in pristine condition. No improvements are needed,” Amber said.

The Perkinses plan to convert the remainder of the property — currently vacant, unused land — into RV sites that will serve as employee housing for Ouray Riverside Resort workers.

They will add water, sewer and electrical hookups for a total of nine sites. Amber said they currently have five employees living in RVs at the Ouray RV Park, and all will move over to the former River Run Cabins property. Three couples who oversee the Ouray RV Park office in the summer and live in RVs during that time will remain at the RV Park.

“Employee housing is such a difficult problem and challenge in Ouray. We hope this is going to facilitate being able to offer affordable, long-term housing to the employees we have,” Amber said.