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Resident urges protection of Farmers High Line Canal easements as nearby development proceeds
Summary
A Westwood Villas HOA representative asked the council to locate and preserve trail easements tied to the Farmers High Line Canal (Heritage Canal Trail), citing a decades‑long history of resolutions, plans and an annexation agreement that included a trail easement.
Lynn Clements, president of the Westwood Villas Homeowners Association, asked the Arvada City Council during second public comment on March 18 to investigate and protect trail easements along the Farmers High Line Canal as nearby properties are developed.
Clements presented a timeline she said stretches from 1981 through the 2000 annexation of the Howard property and into the 2016 parks, trails and open‑space master plan. She told council that a 1991 Board of County Commissioners resolution authorized acquisition steps for a 15‑mile corridor and that the Howard annexation included a dedicated trail easement "along the East Side of the Farmers High Line Canal, including an easement connection to Hyatt Lake." She said Westwood Villas was constructed in 2006 within 11–13 feet of the canal and that the community needs clarity on where easements exist before future development can proceed.
Clements said she has found budget line items in Jefferson County documents that reference the Farmers High Line Canal and that she will continue to search county records and other archival documents to locate easement records. During her remarks staff acknowledged a short technical difficulty and allowed additional time; council agreed to accept materials she offered for the public record.
Why it matters: Clements argued that locating and preserving easements is necessary to complete the planned Heritage Canal Trail and to protect public access routes that have been contemplated in county and local planning documents for decades. She asked the city to coordinate with Jefferson County Open Space and other agencies to confirm easement locations and ensure the trail corridor can be completed as properties change ownership or are redeveloped.
Next steps: Clements said she will continue archival research and provide documentation to the city. Council did not take action at the meeting but staff accepted materials to be placed in the public record for follow up with appropriate county and city open‑space offices.
