Longmont council refers Distal–Toll land-exchange plan to Parks and Recreation Advisory Board amid composting and wildlife concerns

Longmont City Council on Jan. 14 unanimously voted to refer a proposed land exchange—trading the city’s Distal open-space parcel for a portion of the Toll municipal property—to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) for detailed review and public input.

The measure would let the city study whether the Distal property, currently used for sand-and-gravel operations, could host municipal uses such as a regional composting facility, a recycling center or a fire-training site, while moving open-space protection and water-storage opportunities to the Toll site. City staff and multiple residents told council the swap needs more analysis on wildlife, reclamation and truck traffic before any final decision.

Why it matters: The proposal ties two long-standing city assets into a larger question about how Longmont balances open-space protection, waste diversion and municipal operations. Staff said Toll contains a conditional water right that could be used for raw-water storage and habitat restoration; supporters and some council members said that could make open space “whole” or better. Neighbors and open-space advocates urged more environmental study and clearer commitments on housing, traffic and reclamation timelines.

City staff presented the proposal as an initial concept and asked council to send it to PRAB for analysis and recommendation. City Manager Harold (role listed in the meeting as city manager) told council “the Toll property … has a conditional water right tied to the property for water storage,” and Assistant Director of Water and Waste Chris Huffer outlined existing mining and reclamation conditions and a rough sketch of how parts of Toll could become water storage, upland prairie and cleaned-fill staging.

Speakers at the meeting—nearly two dozen during the public-comment period—told council they were split. Some speakers, including residents and representatives of waste- and sustainability-focused organizations, urged the city to pursue a local composting hub to reduce landfill waste and transportation costs. Coral Amai, humane-education coordinator and longtime compost advocate, told council she strongly supported a countywide composting facility but urged “a robust public education campaign” to reduce contamination in feedstocks.

Opponents raised several consistent concerns. Ruby Bowman, a Longmont resident, opened public comment on the topic and said, “The more I learn about the exchange, the less I am inclined to support it,” citing worries about removing Distal from the open-space program and the potential loss of wildlife habitat along Boulder Creek. Residents raised the possibility that Distal’s industrial past and current sand-and-gravel operations could hide environmental impacts and urged a thorough environmental assessment before any referral to Planning and Zoning or PRAB.

Open-space advocates also flagged timing and scale. At the meeting, a resident summarized parcel sizes described in public comment: Distal is about 115 acres and Toll about 215 acres; public-works planning identifies 65 acres on Toll already designated as open-space buffer and an additional 25–45 acres earmarked for public-works use over coming decades. Sherry Malloy, speaking as an open-space advocate, told council she was philosophically opposed to changing open-space designations and said the apparent trade would provide “no significant gain for open-space acreage nor public access for 50 to 60 years at best.”

Staff sought to address that concern by emphasizing tradeoffs, staging and additional details to be developed with PRAB. Huffer said preliminary mapping shows Toll’s adjacency to Boulder Creek could allow restoration of riparian habitat and provide raw-water storage—assets that open space managers value because they expand the city’s capacity to irrigate preserved lands. Huffer cautioned that the restoration plan filed in the 1990s envisioned more water storage than current conditions appear to support, and he described the graphic in the staff presentation as a preliminary concept requiring more technical work.

Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stoltzmann, who traveled to the meeting to comment, told council Boulder County is willing to partner and contribute funding if a regional composting solution proceeds. She praised Longmont staff and said the county would “look forward to continuing to work together.”

Council response and action: Councilors asked for further analysis and public engagement. After discussion council moved and seconded a referral of the Distal–Toll exchange concept to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for study, environmental review options and public outreach. The motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Hidalgo Faring and passed unanimously; council members present voted yes: Mayor Joan Peck; Mayor Pro Tem Hidalgo Faring; Council members Christ, McCoy, Rodriguez and Yarbrough (6–0). The referral directs PRAB to evaluate alternatives, environmental concerns and options to make open space “whole” while considering municipal needs such as composting, recycled-material staging and water-storage strategies.

What’s next: The referral sends the concept to PRAB for a formal recommendation; PRAB’s review will include public meetings and technical work on water rights, reclamation sequencing, wildlife habitat and traffic impacts. Council will receive PRAB’s recommendation, additional technical documentation and any proposed legal documents before making a final decision about property transfers, easements or development uses.

Voices from the meeting: “If you do the referral, a comprehensive environmental assessment should be completed to assess impacts to wildlife and eagles prior to the PRI public hearing,” Ruby Bowman said during public comment. Commissioner Ashley Stoltzmann praised staff: “The knowledge and background that they have is unbelievable,” she told council, calling county staff eager to collaborate.

Ending: By referring the proposal to PRAB, council opened a formal, public review process that will examine whether swapping Distal and Toll can deliver both the city’s composting objectives and measurable, lasting benefits for Longmont’s open-space system. The council’s unanimous referral preserves broad review options while signaling that staff, PRAB and the county will be expected to return with details before any change to an open-space designation is approved.