COLORADO SPRINGS — A battle is brewing over land on the eastern edge of the city as open-space advocates take on motorcycle riders.
Advocates say the 700 acres should be preserved for hikers and picnickers. They want the area north of Colorado 94 known as Corral Bluffs to connect with Jimmy Camp Creek Park, creating a 3,000-acre regional park that would straddle the Banning Lewis Ranch and Corral Bluffs, where 175,000 people are expected to make their homes in the next 40 years.
Motorcycle enthusiasts say thousands of acres of parkland in the county is off limits to them and they need a place to recreate too. They’re being pushed off U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management acreage while the popularity of the sport has exploded, with motorcross competitions shown live on ESPN, NBC and Speed.
In Colorado, there are 133,000 off-highway vehicle registrations — double the number of five years ago.
“It’s some good terrain — it’s anything from beginning to expert. There’s some really good steep ridges and stuff like that,” said Byron Wolf, owner of nearby Aztec Family Raceway. Under the plan, the company would operate the park for El Paso County, which would buy the land and designate the park for motorcyclists.
Noise concerns
Nearby landowners say the government should stay out of what should be left to private business. They worry about dust, liability issues and noise. Colorado during this legislative session is expected to set noise limits on trail bikes — 96 decibels measured 20 inches from the exhaust tip. A lawn mower, for reference, is about 95 decibels.
Two years ago, El Paso County quietly amended its open space definitions to allow room for off-highway vehicles. The county has signed a $750,000 contract, expected to close in August, to buy 522 acres. Aztec and Waste Management, which runs a landfill near the proposed park, have offered in-kind land donations.
The county has $550,000 and is asking Colorado Parks for a $320,000 grant from an off-highway vehicle fund.
“It’s been a long desire of mine to see if it were possible to open a park in El Paso County,” said County Commissioner Jim Bensberg. “There’s a need statewide. There are over 18,000 unlicensed motorcycles in El Paso County alone. As a longtime enthusiast myself, I saw the need.”
Bensberg is a member of the state’s OHV subcommittee that will make a recommendation to the state’s park board about the proposed park. Bensberg said he “will step aside and let the remaining members of the OHV subcommittee decide its fate.”
The county plans to build 20 miles of 18- to 24-inch wide trails that will be for “recreational riding” but not motorcross jumping or racing, Bensberg said.
Debating land’s future
Former County Commissioner and current state Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colo. Springs, doesn’t like the proposal and thinks it is wrong for the county to provide land for private business.
“Commissioner Bensberg is a big motorcycle enthusiast and he thought we ought to have a park for his pet project, for his friends who enjoy riding motorcycles. I’m not against people riding motorcycles, but I don’t see that the county should be subsidizing them,” Bruce said.
Motorcycle enthusiasts said the land is perfect because it’s near a blighted area next to a landfill and auto salvage yards.
“Basically, they’re trying to treat this land as a wasteland,” said Lee Milner, a longtime open-space advocate. “Yes, historically it has been used in a fairly poor way but now the city has grown out to it. The population is growing out, and it is time to reverse that trend.”
At least two neighboring developers, the Banning Lewis Ranch and the Corral Ranches Development group have high-end homes planned adjacent to the park.
Jake Kunstle, who owns 270 acres adjacent to the proposed park, said the county has not given the public a chance to comment on its plan for the park.
“It appears the process that was used to make this application certainly was under the radar screen. I can tell you as an adjacent property owner, we were not given any notice of what was going on.”
Wolken, the director of parks and leisure services for El Paso County, said: “We haven’t bought any property yet. We’re still months away from even that occurring.”
Wolken said that should the state grant be approved, there will be plenty of opportunity for public input.
When that opportunity comes for Norm Bishop, he will speak for his father, Everett Bishop, who is 94, and still the owner of the land.
Years ago, Everett Bishop sold hundreds of acres to Waste Management, the trash removal company.
“My dad wanted it to be a park because he actually felt bad about some of the other deals he made — one was the landfill,” Norm Bishop said. “My dad was just crushed. To him, and to me, a park is you come in, you don’t leave a footprint, what you bring in, you take out. You enjoy the calm and the quiet.”
Erin Emery: 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com
