Open space committee OKs land purchase
It nearly became a dirt-bike park, but Corral Bluffs is now on the path to becoming Colorado Springs' newest open space.
The Trails and Open Space Working Committee on Wednesday approved spending $1 million to buy 522.67 acres east of Colorado Springs. The unanimous vote drew applause from the audience.
Colorado Springs City Council is set to vote on the deal Monday. The Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will vote today on making a recommendation to the council.
"We've had a long, difficult battle for this particular property," said Bill Koerner, former TOPS chairman and a project backer. "This is a great day for all of those out there who have advocated and worked hard for the preservation of this property."
Corral Bluffs is a landscape of cliffs, mesas and sandy valley bottoms near Colorado Highway 94. Earlier this year, El Paso County dropped a controversial plan to buy the land for a motorcycle park after surveys found it would jeopardize archaeological and paleontological sites and disturb golden eagle and prairie falcon nests.
TOPS is funded by a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax, approved by voters in 1997. It generates about $6 million a year. The ordinance that created the program prohibits motorized use in any TOPS-funded project.
Although TOPS would pay $250,000 more than the county was considering, the city is getting a good deal for the land, $1,913 an acre, said TOPS director Chris Lieber. He said owner Randy Case has agreed to sell it for less as a "donation" to the city.
"Part of it is what price is the property owner willing to sell it for," Lieber said of the $250,000 difference. "Looking at the value per acre, at $1,913 per acre, that is considerably less than we've paid in any other situation."
Red Rock Canyon, he said, cost TOPS $15,000 an acre.
If the council approves the deal, it would be 18 to 24 months before the public could access Corral Bluffs. There would be more studies on fossils and raptors there and a public process to draw up a master plan for Corral Bluffs.
Access probably would not be as unlimited as in other open spaces, Lieber said. There may be a trail through the valley bottom, and another up to the rim of the canyon, but hikers would be kept from much of the area.
"We want to make sure we're balancing natural resource protection with public access," Lieber said.
"We would anticipate recreation opportunities would be somewhat limited."
The Trails and Open Space Coalition, a nonprofit that supports the TOPS program, may host guided public tours in the meantime, though no dates are set, Lieber said.
Lee Milner, a TOPS Working Committee member, helped lead the fight against the proposed motorcycle park.
"I'm excited and pleased," he said of Wednesday's vote.
The Case property represents the heart of Corral Bluffs, but Milner would like to see TOPS pursue some parcels around the area and along the canyon's rim.
"If there are additional opportunities down the road, we'll certainly look at those as they become available," Lieber said
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