Longmont – Boulder County’s fears over living next to fast-growing Weld County are prompting efforts to build a coalition to buy more open space as a buffer against subdivisions and strip malls.
Boulder County has asked Frederick and Longmont to each chip in $300,000 to help buy development rights to a mile-and-a-half swath of land along Boulder Creek in Weld County to keep it as farmland.
Both communities are mulling the request and wondering if it’s worth spending taxpayer dollars to help protect Boulder County from what Boulder officials see as freewheeling growth.
The area – known as the Williams property – is full of ducks, geese and blue herons, and is slated to be the site of 36 new houses.
“The wildlife values along the creek are very high,” said Boulder County Commission chair Ben Pearlman.
The land also borders Frederick, one of fastest-growing communities in the country and the center of a proposed 90-square-mile mixed-use development that would turn southwest Weld County into an urban corridor.
“From our borders, we will feel the impact (of that growth),” Pearlman said.
Frederick, Mead and Firestone complain that Weld County allows haphazard growth in unincorporated areas with little regard for how nearby communities are affected. Longmont last year twice asked the county to temporarily cap growth in southwest Weld, which could see the arrival of more than 200,000 residents in the next 20 years.
Weld County declined, saying restrictive growth policies in Boulder County are forcing homebuyers to more affordable Weld.
Weld County does not set aside land for open space. By contrast, Boulder County has secured 51,000 acres of open land to buffer against residential and business growth, within and outside the county.
The Williams property is viewed as an important addition to Boulder County’s open-space plans. But county officials may have difficulty getting Frederick and Longmont to sign on.
“I’m just wondering if this is the best use of our money,” said Longmont City Councilman Marty Block.
Frederick, meanwhile, supports the concept of the proposal but will wait to talk about spending the $300,000 at its March 9 meeting, said Town Administrator Derek Todd.
“It’s hard to say where we are leaning on this,” Todd said.
Longmont has already secured 1,300 acres between the Williams parcel and the city to buffer against growth, said Mayor Julia Pirnack.
“Enough is enough,” Pirnack said, adding that the property includes small lakes and farmland that would not be accessible to the public as open space.
Boulder County would contribute $1 million, and with the help of grants, buy a conservation easement from the owners of the land for $2.7 million. The Williams family would cut the number of homes to be built on the parcel from 36 to six, according to the agreement.
The Longmont City Council voted Tuesday night to wait on any decision from Frederick before moving forward.
Longmont residents, who pay both city and Boulder County open-space taxes, would be asked to spend $1.3 million to stop the construction of 30 homes to be built “several miles from Longmont,” Pirnack said.
Longmont Councilman Doug Brown, however, said Boulder County’s aggressive pursuit of open space has kept Longmont from being swallowed by urban development. He said the city should return the favor.
“We’ve been very lucky,” Brown said. “We’ve been in Boulder County all these years, and it’s prevented us from just growing into each other.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
