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Larimer County approves $250,000 contribution to buy 83-acre Parish Ranch parcel with Boulder County
Summary
The Larimer County commissioners approved a purchase agreement to acquire an 83-acre Parish Ranch Conservation Partnership parcel for $650,000; Larimer will contribute $250,000 and Boulder County $400,000, and the counties plan to transfer an existing conservation easement and eliminate two building rights to keep the land as open space.
Larimer County’s Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 9 to approve a purchase agreement with Parish Ranch Conservation Partnership to acquire an 83‑acre parcel near the Larimer–Boulder county line.
Alex Swartz, a land agent with Larimer County’s Natural Resources Department, told the board the purchase price is $650,000, with Larimer County contributing $250,000 and Boulder County contributing $400,000. "The acquisition price is $650,000. Larimer County would be contributing $250,000 and the other $400,000 coming from Boulder County," Swartz said.
Staff described the property as a strategic connector to Red Tail Ridge Open Space and adjacent conserved lands, with public access routed through the county’s Arrowhead Redtail addition and by agreement through Boulder County open-space lands. The parcel currently carries a conservation easement held by Colorado Open Lands; as part of the transaction the counties will seek to transfer that easement to Boulder County and remove two building rights on the property to prevent future development and preserve continuity of conserved lands.
Megan Flanagan of the Natural Resources Department said the property, though relatively small at 83 acres, fills a "missing link" in a larger conservation footprint and will help buffer cultural and ecological sites. Commissioners praised the long-term partnerships with landowners, neighboring jurisdictions and conservation organizations that made the acquisition possible.
Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally moved to approve the purchase agreement; the board approved the motion 3–0. Staff said the Openlands Advisory Board previously recommended approval. The county will work with Boulder County and Colorado Open Lands to finalize the easement transfer and extinguish the two building rights as described in the purchase agreement.
