Longmont council refers amended Distal–Toll land-exchange plan to parks advisory board, authorizes purchase of adjacent 17-acre Bigelow parcel

The Longmont City Council voted on June 3 to refer an amended land‑exchange proposal affecting the Distal and Toll open‑space properties to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) for further review and public comment, and separately authorized the purchase agreement for the 17‑acre Bigelow parcel for $595,000.

The referral passed unanimously (6–0, Councilor Rodriguez absent). The council also approved Resolution R2025‑31 authorizing the mayor to sign the purchase agreement for the Bigelow property; that vote passed 6–0 (Rodriguez absent). City staff said both actions are procedural steps to keep multiple options open while more technical studies and partner decisions proceed.

Why it matters: The exchange would move some already‑disturbed, industrially mined acreage into active municipal use while returning other acreage to permanent open‑space management and creating room for wetlands and potential water storage. Councilors and staff said the amended plan (scenario 3) aims to concentrate industrial activity on land already impacted by mining and to expand contiguous open space along the St. Vrain/Left Hand Creek corridor. Members of the public urged caution, asking the council to wait for Boulder County’s compost‑facility feasibility study and for additional environmental surveys before any final action.

Staff overview and council choices City planning and public‑works staff presented a revised map labeled “scenario 3” that would (a) accelerate reclamation work on about 50 acres currently leased to a gravel/mining operator, (b) transfer roughly 65 acres of already‑mined utility property into an arrangement where the utility fund would retain operations while open‑space acreage expands along the creek, and (c) create a buffer and ecological restoration…