City council approves Section 16 open space purchase
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- Created on Tuesday, 28 September 2010 22:07
- Written by R. Scott Rappold
By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
After more than a decade of negotiations and four decades of leasing the property from the Colorado State Land Board, Colorado Springs will soon be the owner of the popular Section 16 open space.
City council members Tuesday voted unanimously to buy the 640-acre parcel for $4.12 million, including $3.8 million for the land and $321,000 for the state to agree not to develop the mineral rights. The bulk of the funding, $2.9 million, will come from the city’s Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) sales tax.
“The voters said, ‘We want you to tax us and we want you to use a higher percentage, at least 60 percent, on open space acquisition,’” said Councilman Scott Hente, referring to spending restrictions of the 1997 TOPS tax. “We are doing what the voters asked us to do. We are doing a great acquisition.”
The land is between Bear Creek Cañon Park and Red Rock Canyon Open Space. It was the poster child for the passage of the TOPS tax, though complex negotiations and disagreements over price have delayed the sale.
A law sponsored this year by Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, streamlined the land board’s process to allow direct negotiations with the city, and an appraisal commissioned by the board, with instructions the city helped to write, set the value at $3.8 million.
Another sticking point involved the mineral rights, which the state is required to retain. The city’s $321,000 will be for the land board to agree not to develop the rights for 99 years, with the option to then renew the agreement. The site has 53 acres of extractable gravel.
The area already has an extensive trail network, with links to surrounding parks and Pike National Forest, so little physical work is expected. Volunteer groups perform trail maintenance already.
“This open space protects our view shed. It provides a buffer between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. It’s an important wildlife corridor and it provides ample recreation and educational opportunities,” said Aimee Cox, city parks senior analyst. Outdoors enthusiasts praised the deal.
“The timing is absolutely super. The price is right, the partnerships are in place, the management costs are low and now is the time to do it,” said Bill Koerner, with the nonprofit Trails and Open Space Coalition.
“You can see this piece of property from anywhere in the city. If it was ever excavated, it would look terrible,” said Mayor Lionel Rivera. The land board will vote on the deal Oct. 8, with closing expected by the end of the year.
The city has received a $1 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, which would have expired at the end of the year, and pledges of $200,000 from El Paso County, $40,000 from the Palmer Land Trust, $10,000 from Manitou Springs, $2,500 from the Trails and Open Space Coalition and $1,000 from the Intemann Trail Committee.
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