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Residents urge Longmont council to withdraw Distal-Toll land swap amid composting concerns
Summary
Dozens of residents opposed a proposed land exchange that would make the Distal parcel available for infrastructure use and possible composting, citing open-space protections, wildlife, groundwater, odor and precedent concerns. The council voted to table the exchange pending legal negotiations.
Dozens of Longmont residents urged the City Council on July 29 to withdraw a proposed land exchange that would transfer the Distal open-space parcel in return for the Toll property, which council staff said would better serve utilities or public works. Speakers said the swap would break the public trust because Distal had been purchased with voter-approved open-space funds and could be used instead as a composting site or for other industrial uses.
Jeff Lester, a nearby resident, told council that approving the swap would “set a lasting precedent politically and culturally — that land purchased with voter-approved open space funds is negotiable, even expendable, if another city department has a compelling enough need for the land.” Several other speakers echoed that concern and added ecological, public-health and process criticisms.
Speakers identified specific ecological and operational problems they expect from a composting facility at Distal: a high water table and potential leaching into groundwater or the Saint Vrain Creek corridor; odor and nuisance impacts that could reach neighborhoods and parks such as Sandstone Ranch; and increased traffic and truck trips. Ruby Bowman, who said she is Diné (Navajo), urged the council to consider impacts on bald eagles and said a “composting facility will also function as a wildlife attractant for bald eagles and other raptors.”
Several speakers urged the council to keep Distal off-limits for industrial use regardless of whether a composting facility is ultimately proposed. Jamie Simo noted the 12/17/2019 ordinance in which council approved acquisition terms for Distal and Toll and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s recommendation against the swap. Rob Alexander, a recent Boulder County Parks and Open Space staff retiree, said the feasibility study for composting had not addressed product end-use and transport costs and warned the project might not be economically viable. Jeff Lester and others asked the council to ask Boulder County to remove Distal from consideration as a compost site and to limit future infrastructure siting to land already designated for public works.
Council action: Mayor Peck moved to table the Distal–Toll land exchange “due to ongoing legal negotiations with Holcomb’s property interests.” Councilor Christ seconded. The motion passed unanimously; the roll call showed Mayor Peck, Mayor Pro Tem Hidalgo Faring, Councilors Christ, Popkin, McCoy, Rodriguez and Yawuru present and voting in favor. Mayor Peck said the item will return to a future agenda when negotiations conclude.
Residents asked for additional steps beyond tabling: formal removal of Distal from consideration, a biological assessment for raptors, greater transparency about negotiations and assurances that any exchange would not reduce the net open-space protection purchased with voter funds. Multiple speakers pointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) recommendation opposing the swap and to an upcoming Boulder County phase-2 composting feasibility study expected in September as reasons to pause and seek alternatives.
Ending: The council’s formal action at the meeting was to table the item while legal negotiations are ongoing. Residents asked that council go further and remove Distal from further consideration for a compost facility; staff said the council will return the issue for future consideration when negotiations are resolved.
