Committee supports deed restriction required for Land and Water Conservation Fund grant at Beaver Ranch Park

Jefferson County Open Space staff told the advisory committee that a successful Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) application requires placement of a deed restriction on the entire Beaver Ranch Park property as a condition of accepting the federal-administered grant.

Deputy director Hilary Barrett said the county applied for roughly three-quarters of a million dollars as a match for an accessible playground that would be part of broader redevelopment at Beaver Ranch Park, with matching funds from Beaver Ranch Community, Inc. (the park lessee) and Open Space. Barrett said Colorado Parks and Wildlife administers LWCF grants in Colorado and that the National Park Service requirement is to place the deed restriction on the full park parcel, not just the portion where the playground will be built.

Barrett said three building envelopes would be preserved within the restriction to allow improvements to parking and existing structures at the TV lodge, the disc-golf pro shop and the main lodge. She told the committee the National Park Service’s definition of public outdoor recreation is broad and can include community events or weddings; staff do not anticipate the deed restriction will change current uses. Beaver Ranch Community, Inc. supported the grant and the restriction, Barrett said.

Committee members asked about commercial or private uses; staff said the park’s existing lease and permit processes (license/lease arrangements) would continue to govern events and concessions and that the LWCF deed restriction would not prevent permitted public uses. The committee voted to recommend adoption of Resolution 25-09 to place the deed restriction.