Background

Longmont Friends of Open Space (Stand With Our St. Vrain Creek) are advocating strengthened protections for Open Space so City Council, staff and our whole Longmont community avoid another destructive issue like the Distel-Tull Disposition, proposed land exchange. http://standwithourstvraincreek.com/news/distel-tull-disposition That Disposition / land exchange, initiated by the Public Works Department, in conjunction with Boulder County, would have converted the Distel Open Space property into an industrial compost facility along with three City of Longmont infrastructure projects. The proposed City projects included relocation of the Fire Training Center, a large vehicle driving training area and another project not specified. The proposed Disposition / land exchange was initiated by city council in January 2025— just two months after Longmont voters overwhelmingly (74%) approved extending our Open Space sales tax in perpetuity. Voters supported taxing themselves because they didn’t want Open Space bartered or traded for development. Due to complications, the
proposed Disposition of Open Space finally died, but not before upsetting hundreds of residents who clearly communicated they want Longmont’s Open Space properties respected and protected.

Additionally, in late 2014 the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) was approached by citizens requesting additional protection of City Open Spaces by granting Conservation Easements (CE) on properties that did not currently have an easement on them. Upon that recommendation in the Spring of 2015 City Council directed staff to pursue that strategy. This was reviewed and approved by City Council in September of 2015. At that time, City Council reviewed and approved the general format of those easements and directed staff to begin negotiating those easements. While formally enacted, there was no direction for an ordinance. Since that time, staff have pursued a Conservation Easement for the Bigelow property and have worked diligently on granting easements on the Olander property (2024) and the Double Six Property (2019). However, the easements have not been granted on the Adam Farms (2022), Tull (2019), Distel (2019), Newby(2018) and others.

Longmont Friends of Open Space Recommendations:

Modify the process of transfer of OS ownership to require any transfer be approved by a vote of the people.
Review administrative dispositions (i.e. Public Right-of-Ways, utility easements & Open Space assets (i.e. houses, underutilized water taps, etc.) to include a process that ensures Natural Resources/OS staff review, and require a public hearing with the Parks and Recreation Advisory board to review and make a recommendation to City Council for final decision.
Streamline the process for granting Conservation Easements by eliminating the extra step/process currently in place requiring a separate CE Disposition process*

*On April 14, 2015, City Council directed the City Manager’s office to grant Conservation Easement to qualified holders, on all Open Space that had been or was to be purchased in fee. The purpose for granting the easement was to further strengthen the protection for property purchased for Open Space. That Council direction was never codified in an Ordinance nor Resolutions. Longmont Friends of Open Space are suggesting this direction be recognized by means of an adopted Ordinance. This further ensures additional protection for lands purchased with the intent of Community Buffers, Wildlife Habitat, waterways, trails corridors, etc.

RE: Allowing voters to consider adding language to our City Charter

Copied from section 13.2 City Charter:

Neither lands owned and used by the city for park purposes, nor water rights, shall be sold or conveyed without an affirmative vote of a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon. Other real property may be sold or conveyed by administrative ordinance adopted by a two- thirds majority of the entire council. Nothing in this provision, however, shall prohibit the city from exchanging water, or changing point of diversion of water rights without such vote. (And. No. 19, 11-17-1989)

Recommendation is to include/add “Open Space properties” to this sentence:

Neither lands owned and used by the city for park purposes, open space properties, nor water rights, shall be sold or conveyed without an affirmative vote of a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon. Other real property…

We’d love people to attend City Council on June 30th and wearing green to show support for these actions!