Colorado Springs open space deal approved for city's east side, adding more than 1,000 acres

Breeanna Jent, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·4 min read

Mar. 15—The Colorado Springs City Council approved a deal that will add more than 1,000 acres to an open space on the city's eastern edge, an area that has seen increased urban development over the last several years.

Colorado Springs will spend $7.5 million in revenues generated from the city's dedicated 0.1% Trails, Open Space and Parks tax, assisted by partner The Conservation Fund, to purchase 1,018 acres of prairieland south of Corral Bluffs after the City Council voted 8-0, with Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune absent, to approve the purchase during their regular meeting Tuesday.

The purchase was included with several other items on the meeting's consent agenda that were considered as a whole and passed through with one vote by the council.

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Britt Haley said in an email Tuesday evening that the council's vote came after parks officials conducted a site visit and held meetings with the TOPS Working Committee, as well as with the parks board and City Council budget committee.

Referred to as "Wild Horse Ranch," officials envision the more than 1,000 acres of sprawling prairieland located south of Colorado 94 near South Franceville Coal Mine Road as an important piece of efforts to connect ecosystems, wildlife habitat corridors and trails, and to preserve nearby riparian areas.

With Jimmy Camp Creek to the north, Wild Horse Ranch runs south toward the city-owned Bluestem Prairie Open Space near Fountain.

"We are excited to work with The Conservation Fund to secure a major addition of open space as the eastern edge of the city experiences urban development," Haley said in a news release. "Wild Horse Ranch is a unique property that will provide needed open space, wildlife conservation and greater connectivity across the unique Colorado Springs open space network."

The Conservation Fund helped the city bring the Wild Horse Ranch property under contract, Haley said, even as "numerous interested buyers" had been competing to obtain it.

"The benefit of working with The Conservation Fund in this transaction was they stood ready to secure the purchase for TOPS, which allowed for the time it takes to thoroughly review and present this opportunity for approval by City Council," Haley said in the email.

The Conservation Fund had been negotiating with the land seller on another conservation deal, she said, and successfully got the Wild Horse Ranch property under contract, too, "contingent on city approvals." The Conservation Fund agreed to sell the land to the city for its $7.5 million appraised value, she said.

Parks advocates have said there is importance in providing more open space for residents on the eastern side of town.

Once the city completes its purchase of Wild Horse Ranch, "we can say, OK, now you have a place to go," TOPS Working Committee Chair Bob Falcone previously said.

Also when the purchase is finalized, the city will conduct a "master planning process" for the property so residents can give their feedback on how they'd like to see the open space used, as well as provide input on wildlife and public access, the release states.

The addition is the largest ever for the Trails, Open Space and Parks program that uses revenues from sales taxes to purchase land.

Voters will decide on April 4 whether to extend the dedicated tax of 1 cent per $10, which is set to expire in 2025. The tax has funded the purchase of other open spaces like Stratton, Red Rock Canyon and Ute Valley, and is expected to raise about $12 million in 2023, according to data provided by the city. Most of its revenues are split among parks, trails and open space.

If voters choose next month to extend the tax for another 20 years, it will be with the caveat that 60% of the funds are set aside for open space, or about $6.5 million in 2023. If the ballot measure passes, 75% of the $6.5 million — or about $4.9 million — will be set aside to buy land, and the remaining 25% would be used for stewardship, such as hiring "TOPS rangers" to manage properties purchased through the program.