The Longmont Parks and Recreation Advisory Board this week voted to recommend city council approve a conservation easement for a parcel of open space east of Union Reservoir.
The vote in favor of the easement at Newby Farms Open Space came during the board’s Monday meeting.
The Newby Farms Open Space, a 253.68-acre agriculturally leased property east of Union Reservoir, was purchased for close to $8.5 million in October 2018, according to Dan Wolford, the city’s land program administrator.
The conservation easement will ensure that the Newby Farm Open Space will remain an agricultural property and city open space by retaining the property development rights.
City council in 2014 recommended conservation easements on existing open space properties and new acquisitions to ensure open space properties remain so, Wolford said.
“Minor fiscal impacts would be that we (the city of Longmont) would pay the Longmont Conservation District the sum of $5,000 to monitor this conservation easement in perpetuity,” Wolford said Monday night.
“The city has previously granted a conservation easement to the Longmont Conservation District on the city’s Hernor, French and Hartman Open Space properties immediately to the west of the Newby Open Space. All four of these properties have a strong agricultural presence and purpose, making the Longmont Conservation District an ideal organization to hold these conservation easements,” according to a memo included in the board’s agenda packet, which can be accessed here.
A unique attribute of the Newby Farm property is it provides an opportunity for a trail corridor to connect Union Reservoir with St. Vrain State Park, Wolford said.
Notification of the public hearing was posted two weeks prior to Monday’s hearing. As of Monday afternoon, Wolford said only one person had commented in favor of the easement during the advisory board’s September meeting. No callers commented during the public hearing on Monday.
The board voted unanimously on Monday to recommend council approve the easement.
