Colorado preserved about 170,000 acres in the last two years, using opens space funds and conservation easements, ranking behind California and Maine.During the same amount of time, 90,000 acres were developed, according to a new report from the Colorado Conservation Trust. A slew of state, city and private organizations deserve a lot of credit for working to make this happen.
The Colorado Springs area is certainly part of this trend. City council is expected to approve purchase of Cheyenne Mountain Tuesday. Meanwhile, the city TOPS tax has been used to buy over 4,000 acres, with more on the way.
5 comments:
While I'm not keen on using TOPS money for Cheyenne Mountain (there are better land purchases to make)the program has been an asset to Colorado Springs.
Yeah, lets use that money for beer and cigarettes instead.
At least with Cheyenne, the city is getting a heck of a deal. It's paying about 1/3 of the appraised value.
It is a good price because the seller gets a tax write off for the difference between the paid price and appraisal (typical in open space purchases). I think the area will see little use and the money could have bought more accessable open space.
I do agree that the top of the mountain will probably see little human use, what with the antennae farm and all (not exactly aesthetically pleasing). But it will preserve a wildlife corridor from the National Forest to the park lowlands, and that I think is very important.
Plus if developers had been given a chance to drop houses up there, imagine the roads they would have wanted to scar the hills with.
Post a Comment