GUEST COLUMNIST: Open spaces maintain Palmer's vision, enhance our lives
Three times — as recently as last spring — voters have been asked the question: do you value and support more open space? Each time the community has answered overwhelmingly — YES!
The first time was in 1998 when voters supported the first Trails, Open Space and Parks tax. For every $10 spent in the city of Colorado Springs, one penny goes to TOPS. That commitment led directly to the acquisitions of Red Rock Canyon, Corral Bluffs and White Acres open spaces. In 2003, 68 percent of the voters agreed to extend the TOPS tax through 2025. Then last spring voters were asked to tinker with TOPS and spend less on open space and more on maintenance.
Voters said no.
For many of your friends and neighbors, Stratton Open Space and Blodgett Peak are a vital part of their daily routine. Visitors and residents alike can’t wait to hike Corral Bluffs or the top of Cheyenne Mountain.
And consider Red Rock Canyon Open Space. If 10 years ago the community had accepted the premise that Pike National Forest was just up the road and no additional open space was needed, there would be no hiking or biking in Red Rock Canyon. Developers intended to fill it with 2,400 residential units and a 24-hole golf course. If the community decides we have enough open spaces and now is not the time to buy, the wildly popular Manitou Section 16 could become private residential property and our western “viewscape” could be changed forever.
Preserving land for all the people is part of our legacy. Colorado Springs founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer set aside enough land for more than a half dozen parks at a time when horses outnumbered residents.
His good friend Charles Perkins left us land that would one day become Garden of the Gods Park. These were shrewd railroad men who recognized natural beauty and understood the value of public open space.
Let’s consider costs. Open space is a wise investment. It’s inexpensive to maintain and studies consistently show that property values increase for homes located near open space.
Let’s consider the economy. When businesses consider coming to Colorado, quality of life is a big selling point. We’ve recently received national recognition from those who hold up our city as a model place to live for its recreational opportunities and quality of living.
And let’s consider health. According to a recent study by The Trust for Public Land, when people have access to open space with trails for walking, biking and jogging, they are more likely to exercise, which can reduce obesity and improve overall health.
Great Outdoors Colorado is projecting an additional million people will move to Colorado between now and 2020. The majority of those will settle along the Front Range.
Open space should not be viewed as an obstruction to growth, but rather as a commodity that is thoughtfully woven into the fabric of a community.
Investments in open space improve the economy, ecology and overall quality of life in our region. Thankfully, the people of this community do not view open space as a luxury, but as an integral part of who we are as people. It is a conscious choice they have made again and again for themselves, their friends, families and future generations.
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Davies is executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition, a nonprofit organization working to preserve open space and rural land. The organization receives no funds from the TOPS tax.
