Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hodges Property topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public presses Boulder Open Space trustees to preserve Hodges property, seek conservation easement details
Summary
Residents and advocacy groups urged the Open Space Board of Trustees to halt talks of disposing the Hodges property, asking the board to disclose any proposed conservation easement language and to consider alternatives such as tenant housing or deconstruction and retention of open land. Trustees said discussion will continue in April with a possible vote in June.
Longtime Boulder residents and local organizations urged the Open Space Board of Trustees on March 11 to retain the Hodges property and provide more detail before considering disposal.
“Would this sale not represent a betrayal to the people who have worked and paid to preserve our open spaces for decades?” asked Emily Reynolds, a 50‑year Boulder resident, during the public comment period, arguing that Hodges is part of the southern entry corridor that distinguishes Boulder. Plan Boulder County’s representative, George Kirstel, cited the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) policies on rural land preservation and agricultural worker housing and urged the city to maintain ownership to protect the vista and floodplain functions.
Several speakers raised procedural concerns. One commenter summarized an OSMP memo (July 9, 2025) that placed Hodges in a ‘‘continued current programmatic use’’ category and said moving to disposal now would appear to depart from the RFUA’s systematic evaluation. Attorney Mike Browning urged the board to require staff to prepare and share the exact proposed conservation easement before any disposal decision, noting easements vary and that protections for wetlands, water conveyance and the view corridor must be explicit.
Trustees responded that staff will continue the public conversation. Trustee Brady (board member) said the department plans a further discussion in April focusing on conservation easements and the pros and cons of ownership versus easement approaches, and that a potential disposal vote could occur June 10. Dan (OSMP staff) said staff is prepared to walk the board through options — maintaining fee ownership, a conservation easement, or deconstruction with retention of open land — and to provide the public with more daylight on the process.
Staff and trustees also emphasized alternatives to sale, including hiring a residential property manager or repurposing the structure for agricultural tenant housing. Chair Harmon Zuckerman thanked speakers and said the board will “consider all of your comments” as it develops next steps.
What’s next: OSMP staff said they will return with more information at an April meeting and that the board could consider a formal disposal action in June; staff also committed to producing or sharing conservation‑easement language for review before any vote.
