Colorado Springs acquires more than 300 acres of open space

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The city of Colorado Springs has increased the amount of land it owns by purchasing 315 acres of open space near the Cedar Heights and Oak Valley Ranch Neighborhoods, located on the City’s Western Edge.

In a 2014 park system master plan, the city listed a bunch of areas that could be acquired as potential open space for the city.

Trails, Open Space and Parks Program Manager Britt Haley said, “The theory was to have a ring of open space around the entire city.”

This new open space includes two properties both of which were purchased from Castle Concrete: Black Canyon Quarry and Frontage Property of the Pike-View Quarry.

Haley said, “While it’s nice to be able to get something over 300 acres, that is not truly common. We’ve had a couple opportunities recently, but it is a nice chunk of property.”

So the question now is, what will come of this new open space?

“We thought it would be really nice if we could continue around the western edge of our city and protect that mountain backdrop with beautiful open space and trails,” said Haley.

The city purchased the land with the Trails, Open Space and Parks Sales tax revenue, otherwise known as “TOPS.” With this purchase, the city now owns more than 6,700 acres of tops property. Haley explains why it’s so important that they continue to buy this land.

“No other city really has the amazing open space resources that we have here in Colorado Springs. That said, we’ve acquired maybe about 25% of what was identified in the 2014 park system master plan, so we have a long ways to go.”

As for when the trails will be open here in the new open space that remains to be scene as the city will now move into their planning phase.