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Board recommends OSMP acquire 16.37 acres near Boulder Reservoir for $175,000
Summary
Trustees voted 4–1 to recommend that OSMP acquire about 16.37 acres adjacent to the Diagonal Highway near Boulder Reservoir for approximately $175,000, citing conservation, habitat protection, and preventing incompatible private development.
The Open Space Board of Trustees recommended the acquisition of two contiguous parcels totaling about 16.37 acres adjacent to the Diagonal Highway and near the Boulder Reservoir. Mark Peducci, senior property agent for OSMP, presented the staff recommendation and said the south parcel (10.7 acres) contains wetlands and riparian habitat while the north parcel (5.7 acres) is mostly grassland. Staff described the property as agriculturally zoned, historically owned by the Borris family since the 1920s, and currently an opportunity for proactive conservation.
Mark Peducci told trustees the city’s purchase price was approximately $175,000 for the two parcels and that the owners indicated they are ready to sell; staff said earlier offers had occurred but OSMP’s negotiated price is favorable given access constraints and outlot value. Trustees questioned whether the land would remain agricultural or be managed for conservation and whether other city departments should instead purchase it; staff said OSMP judged the property to have open-space value and noted adjacency to multiple city-managed parcels and the potential public-safety benefits of preventing incompatible private development.
Trustee John Carroll moved the recommendation and Brady Robinson seconded. The motion passed by a roll-call vote of 4–1, with Trustee Sarah Glenn casting the lone no vote. Trustees who supported the purchase pointed to the parcel’s ecological features and its role in shaping urban edge development, while the dissenting trustee said she was unconvinced a purchase without a detailed management plan represented the best use of constrained funds.
Staff said standard due diligence (survey, Phase I environmental, title review) would be completed before closing and that acquired property would be closed to the public for a management-planning period (typically about five years) before a long-term plan and potential uses, including agricultural leasing, are finalized.
