Greenwood Village – This well-to-do community at last has a regional treasure within its reach: a 4-acre parcel that would complete the public’s ownership of a horseshoe shaped 59-acre tract surrounded on three sides by the High Line Canal.
The national Trust for Public Land is trying to raise $750,000 to help complete the purchase of the Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, according to Justin Spring, project manager for the trust’s Denver office.
The city and the state also will contribute some money.
Negotiations on the purchase, from developers, are underway, according to city officials. No one would specify the price.
“It’s very expensive,” said Greenwood Village Councilwoman Anne Ingebretsen, whose district includes the site that city has been trying to acquire for at least eight years.
Residential development could currently be built on the pristine site, blocking off an otherwise unfettered view of the Rockies from the nature preserve deeded over by developers for public use in 1988.
The mainly urban surroundings in south metro make it a high priority for preservation, said the trust’s Spring.
“Our vision is very much focused on the preservation of land for public use in the metro Denver area, especially in the prime development corridors near the High Line Canal,” he said.
Those interested in helping preserve the track can call Scott Dissel in the Trust for Public Land office, 303-837-1414.
Last year, the Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners awarded the effort $250,000, calling it a $2.25 million project.
Greenwood Village sets aside $500,000 annually to acquire open space, amassing nearly 272 acres of undeveloped properties in addition to 20 parks that provide another 175 acres of public space.
“For Greenwood Village, we’ve done a good job of setting aside land for the public,” said Debbie Belcik, the city’s director of parks, trails and recreation.
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
