Markdown helps city buy White Acres

A last-minute discount has put White Acres on track to become Colorado Springs' newest open space.

The city and owners of the prime swath of west-side foothills reached a deal Monday allowing the city TOPS program to buy the 43 acres for $1 million - a 28 percent markdown from the price that ended talks of a deal in September.

The city plans to pay for the land over four years, paying $100,000 in 2009, $75,000 in 2010, and splitting the remaining $825,000 between 2011 and 2012, said White Acres' owners.

Ron Holladay, a lay leader of Bethany Baptist Church, which has owned the land since 1953 and put it up for sale recently to pay for renovations on its aging building, said $1 million was a fair price.

"We could use more, of course," he said. "But it was always the desire of the church to have the land remain open space. Even though we had to take a hit on the price, we'd rather see it go down this road."

White Acres is "the missing piece of the puzzle" at the center of an extensive open space system, said Chris Lieber, manager of the city's open space program.

The land, which already is used regularly by hikers and bikers, provides a key trail corridor between Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Bear Creek Regional Park and Section 16 - a popular hiking area that the state owns.

Existing trails would open to hikers and bikers in late December when the city is expected to take possession of the land, Lieber said.

"I think it's wonderful," said Don Ellis, a board member of Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space who lobbied hard for White Acres' preservation. "Besides the trails, we are protecting a really prominent part of the foothills backdrop for the city."

He agreed that the price was fair.

Colorado Springs purchases open space with the TOPS fund, generated by a 0.1 percent sales tax. TOPS money is separate from the general fund and can be used only for trails, open space and parks. This year TOPS is expected to generate about $3 million for open space. Even so, there is little extra money because the parks department would like to buy neighboring Section 16 before a $1 million matching grant from the state expires this year.

In 2008, the future of White Acres as open space was doubtful.

The church had partnered with local developer Paul Howard to sell the land. They wanted $1.375 million, which was twice as much per acre as the city paid for neighboring Red Rock Canyon.

The city refused. Howard then began plans to develop 27 houses and 20 townhouses on the land.

Neighbors and open-space advocates flooded development meetings urging the church and the city to "Save White Acres."

Howard, who initially would have earned nearly $700,000 from a land deal, agreed to a smaller cut.

Instead of getting 50 percent of the sale price, Howard said he would receive less than 30 percent, with his share coming in 2012.

"I'm a Christian," he said by phone Monday. "The important thing here was always to be able to take care of the church. This deal will do that."

The deal must be approved by the parks citizen advisory board this month and the City Council in April.