Durango’s City Council unanimously approved the purchase of about 32 acres north of Overend Mountain Park on Tuesday night. It was the first step in a longer series of transactions that eventually will see a 50-acre expansion of open space in the area.
“Ultimately, when all is said and done, this will fill the gap between Overend, Bureau of Land Management land and Rockridge’s open space,” said Kevin Hall, director of natural lands, trails and sustainability with the city. “There’s no intent for trail connections, but it does have significant habitat implications to have an open corridor.”
Hall asked City Council to approve the purchase of a 32.3-acre tract in Hidden Valley Estates for $299,000 from Alan Gentz, to close today. The bulk of the property consists of heavily wooded and shale-faced hills.
In a separate action, councilors also approved a land exchange with Jeff Bork, owner of a neighboring tract in the subdivision. The city will trade about 7 acres of buildable land from the 32-acre Gentz tract to Bork in exchange for 25 acres of similarly wooded and shale-faced slopes from the almost 35-acre adjoining tract Bork owns.
That exchange is expected to happen in late spring 2014, after the city resubdivides Hidden Valley Estates to reflect the open-space portions and two buildable parcels, one of about 7 acres and the second of about 10 acres, which Bork will own. The cost of resubdividing will be about $6,000, so the city eventually will have acquired 50 acres for about $306,000.
“What we’re paying now is in line with other similar parcels,” Hall said.
When the purchases and exchanges are concluded, the city will have total ownership of the Hidden Valley Trail. About 1,500 feet of the trail has encroached on Bork’s private property and has been unsecured as a trail easement.
“The property within Hidden Valley Estates was identified in the city’s 2001 Open Space Master Plan as land that should be considered for preservation,” Hall said.
Fiscal issues and other open-space priorities had delayed the purchase, he said.
The money used for the purchase was appropriated for natural lands purchases in 2013, with revenue derived from an initiative voters passed in 2005 for a sales tax to benefit the Open Space, Parks and Trails Fund.
While the transaction will result in a contiguous open-space area with the Rockridge subdivision’s designated open space, the Rockridge land remains private property and is closed to the public.
abutler@durangoherald.com
