Greeley moves forward with huge natural area on city’s west side – Greeley Tribune

Nature lovers in Greeley have reason to celebrate, especially those in west Greeley, as they will soon be able to find rare wildlife in their own backyards.

The city’s Department of Culture, Parks and Recreation on Tuesday presented an update to the Greeley City Council on the acquisition of 978 acres of open space, the largest tract east of Interstate 25.

Supported by a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado and in partnership with the Trust for Public Lands, the city acquired what was known as the ShurView property near Missile Site Park in northwest Greeley for $8.5 million in April 2022. The city had been trying to buy the property for 20 years.

Greeley contributed $5.5 million of the total cost using revenue from the city’s quality of life tax. The remaining balance came from Great Outdoors Colorado, Land and Water Conservation Fund, the city of Windsor and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act fund.

After the open space was purchased, the Department of Culture, Parks and Recreation set to work turning the area into a center for biodiversity, a habitat for wildlife and a place for outdoor recreation.

The open space has a total of 91 different animal species and 168 different plant species, some of which are very rare in this area of ​​Colorado, such as the American bumblebee and the bald eagle. There is also a plant called milkvetch that has not been seen in Weld County since 1833.

The Parks and Recreation Board selected the name “Arroyos del Sol” for the space after analyzing nearly 90 name suggestions received between the start of the project in 2022 and 2023. The name refers to the natural terrain features of the space. , as well as the city’s Hispanic and Latino communities. The official appointment will occur at a later date, after the board makes a formal recommendation to the city council.

The city will develop the open space in phases over the next few years. The area will feature trailheads, bike paths and multimodal transportation connections. In total, the city expects the project to cost between $22 million and $33.5 million, and will get funding from private contributions as well as state and federal grants.

While the project and vision presented to council has unanimous support, Councilwoman Deb Deboutez expressed concerns about other nearby developments and proposed road widenings.

The land consists of approximately 600 acres east of Colorado 257 and approximately 400 acres to the west, bordered to the north by the Poudre River. A portion has apparently blocked 4th Street’s continuation west toward the freeway, and the space is also very close to land that Martin Lind of Windsor proposed to build an entertainment district that could include ice rinks, a water park, a hotel and a shopping center. development.

“I think there will have to be some conversations,” said City Manager Raymond C. Lee III. “There may also be some opportunity to swap land.”

To do this, the city would try to incorporate land that could be owned by developers into adjacent parcels so that open space can maintain its size and projects can develop as planned.

“I think this project will challenge how we view open space in the West all together and how we incorporate it into development,” Lee said.

– BizWest reporter Sharon Dunn contributed to this report.