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Council authorizes appraisal for proposed nonprofit cactus farm; applicant to pay appraisal costs
Summary
Council authorized appraisal of roughly 4 acres at 1201 Quail Drive for lease to a nonprofit for a prickly-pear cactus pilot farm and required the applicant to pay appraisal costs; staff emphasized appraisal does not bind council to a lease.
The Boulder City council unanimously authorized an appraisal of approximately four acres at 1201 Quail Drive to evaluate a proposed lease to a nonprofit planning a demonstration prickly-pear cactus farm.
Brock Armachroud, the city’s revenue, contracts and real-estate manager, said staff will seek two appraisals to establish a minimum lease rate and confirmed the parcel sits adjacent to the city’s wastewater treatment plant and Veterans Cemetery. “If approved, staff will then seek two appraisals to establish a minimum lease rate, which would be the average of the two appraisals,” Armachroud said.
Applicant Jess Malaski described the project as a nonprofit pilot and community education hub, and said her family foundation and outside grants would support early costs. “It's a passion project of mine that we've been working on for about seven years,” Malaski said. She proposed partnerships with local schools and universities and said the pilot could provide plants for community landscaping and educational outreach.
Agricultural consultant Jay Rom responded to council questions about water use, saying production can be efficient: “You can get good production with only 700 millimeters of moisture a year... That's only 2 and a half inches a year,” he said, and noted early-year water needs will be higher when plants are small but will settle as the crop matures.
Council debated appraisal costs and tied the approval to a condition: the council’s motion required the applicant to pay appraisal expenses (estimated in discussion at roughly $2,500–$4,000). City staff clarified an appraisal at this stage is for lease valuation only and does not obligate the city to enter into a lease; council members said a full project presentation and terms would follow after appraisal results.
The specific motion approved: authorize staff to obtain appraisals for leasing the parcel for a nonprofit cactus farm and require the applicant to pay appraisal costs; vote recorded as unanimous.
