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County seeks new owners for flood buyout properties

Application period for free parcels open until June 30
20240506-boulder-county-flood-property
The Barnes property (8531 N Foothills Hwy.) is available for the flood buyout program

NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY
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Boulder County is accepting applications from residents and qualified entities interested in owning flood buyout properties. 

Boulder County acquired 45 formerly residential properties that were heavily damaged during the September 2013 flood from landowners who wanted to sell their damaged property. The funding paid to the previous owners came from two sources: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery programs.

As required by the buyout funding grant programs, all existing structures were demolished on the buyout properties to return the land to its natural state. Federal regulations require these properties to remain undeveloped in the future. 

HUD properties can be conveyed to private parties subject to deed restrictions that prohibit development of the properties. FEMA properties are similarly restricted and can only be conveyed to quantified entities. Qualified entities include a state agency, Indian Tribal government, municipal local government, or qualified conservation organization.

The county has identified 16 properties that currently are appropriate for transfer of ownership.

To learn more about this program and to apply please visit the Flood Buyout Properties webpage. For additional questions, please contact Tina Burghardt, Senior Land Officer for Boulder County Parks & Open Space at [email protected] or (720) 864-6533.

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