BOULDER, Colo.—Boulder is negotiating a $10 million deal with a ranch family in Jefferson County to keep land close to the city’s open space undeveloped.
The city has wanted to buy the 573-acre Hogan Ranch for two decades in part because Jefferson County has zoned the property to allow up to 295 homes and commercial development. Boulder Councilwoman Crystal Gray said the prospect of a developer buying a large parcel so close to the city’s interests prompted the city to negotiate a conservation easement with the family.
Gray said the easement would require the family to give up development rights but retain the property. Up to five homes to be used by the family and a private equestrian center could be built.
“What the city is buying is tying up those development rights,” Gray said.
City officials said the land in north Jefferson County, bordered on the east by Colorado 93 and south of Boulder, offers wide vistas of the mountains and prairie. It is home to native Colorado plants and animals.
Although the land isn’t in Boulder, city officials have defended the proposed purchase, saying city open space borders the ranch on three sides.
The City Council will vote on the purchase Sept. 18. Most of the money would come from a bond sold in May. If the county commissioners agree, the rest would come from the county’s general fund.
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Information from: Camera,
