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Open Space and Trails advisory board urges preservation of Page property, leaves door open to purchase
Summary
The board approved language for a letter to town council expressing a strong preference that the Page property retain open-space values—asking that at least half the acreage meet Unified Development Code open-space standards—while allowing staff to discuss options for purchasing more acreage and rezoning if appropriate.
At its regular April meeting, the Town of Erie Open Space and Trails Advisory Board agreed to send an amended letter to the town council expressing the board’s preference that the Page property be preserved for open space while keeping limited options for purchase and rezoning under consideration.
The board’s recommendation, as discussed and edited at the meeting, asks that at least 50% of the property’s acreage “remain as open space that meets the current unified development code requirements,” and it instructs that areas identified through a development process that do not meet UDC standards not count toward the developer’s open-space dedication without further dedication or a fee-in-lieu. “OSAP further maintains any areas that it identifies as open space through the development process that do not meet current UDC requirements should not count toward overall open space dedication requirements and that any deficiency we address through further dedication of open space or a fee in lieu,” staff told the board.
Board members pressed staff to add agricultural value alongside ecological, scenic and community values in the letter and debated word choice—several members recommended using “conservation” or “restoration” rather than “preservation.” The chair said the group should “crack the door” to the possibility that the town could purchase more of the property, but stop short of committing to a specific dollar amount; one member argued for language calling for “substantially more than 50%” of the acreage to remain as open space.
On process, staff said the board would be consulted before any change in use of existing structures on the site and reiterated that any development would need to meet UDC open-space metrics such as minimum parcel size and connectivity. The board indicated consensus to send the amended letter; staff agreed to edit the draft and circulate it to members before submission to council.
The board did not take a formal binding vote to purchase or obligate funds; instead, the letter asks council to consider the board’s position and leaves funding and final policy decisions to the council. Staff said the board’s letter will be presented on council’s agenda in May, where council will set a direction for the property.
