On Tuesday, June 3, Longmont City Council voted to amend a proposed internal land exchange to the Longmont Parks and Recreation Board (PRAB) between the Distel and Tull properties, located in the southeast corner of the city, to pave the way for a county composting facility.
Boulder County and the City of Longmont have been in discussions to build a composting facility on the Distel Property, a 115-acre property currently leased to a gravel mining company that was purchased in 2019 using exclusively Open Space funds.
If the city wants to use the land for anything other than open space purchases, the properties must be formally “disposed,” requiring a recommendation from PRAB prior to council's final approval.
The initial proposal, presented during a Jan. 14 meeting, was to transfer ownership of the Tull property, a 215-acre parcel used largely as storage for fill materials from ongoing public works projects, to the city’s department of parks and recreation, in exchange for the entire Distel property.
After concerns were raised regarding the disposal of open space, city staff recommended a new proposal, preserving 50 acres of the Distel property to be reclaimed as open space, a process which could begin as soon as this year, according to City Manager Harold Dominguez.
“I’ve come to understand the extensive opportunities it offers to support higher quality land for open space,” council member Matthew Pokin said during the meeting. “Irrespective of this composting facility discussion, I think this seems like a net benefit to open space and the city overall.”
PRAB is scheduled to review the proposal on June 23 to recommend a final decision to the city council regarding the land swap. The county has yet to officially select the Distel property as the location for the composting facility, which several council members noted should be added as a contingency for the deal before the final vote.
Also on Tuesday, council moved ahead with an ordinance criminalizing sitting, kneeling or lying down in the city's commercial districts. Read more