In January, the Colorado Springs City Council approved the purchase of a 75.66-acre parcel next to the 522-acre Corral Bluffs Open Space the city purchased in 2008.The new parcel, which is owned by Marvin Anderson, is located at the south end of Hoofbeat Road about 6 miles south of Falcon.ìItís a much needed property to add to the Corral Bluffs open space,î said Sarah Bryarly, manager of design and development for the cityís TOPS (Trails, Open Space and Parks) program.The Anderson parcel will provide the only trail head from the top of the bluffs to the open space, Bryarly said.ìThis new parcel will make access (to the Corral Bluffs open space) much easier for Falcon residents, said Phyllis Cahill, member of the Corral Bluffs Alliance, which was formed in 2008 to oppose the countyís intention to use Corral Bluffs as a motorcycle park.Without the Anderson parcel, Falcon residents would have to drive at least 5 additional miles to reach an entrance on Highway 94.The TOPS program will fund the purchase of the Anderson parcel. According to www.springsgov.com, TOPS receives one-tenth of a 1 percent sales tax on non-grocery purchases in Colorado Springs.Bryarly said the parcelís price of $191,150 is equivalent to about 12 days of TOPS revenue.The purchase price includes $2,000 for a first-right-of-refusal agreement on a 5.74-acre parcel, also owned by Anderson, thatís occupied by a cell tower, she said.Bryarly said Anderson, who lives out of state, is unwilling to sell the cell tower parcel at this time because of the income it generates.Council members Sean Paige, Tom Gallagher and Darryl Glenn opposed the purchase.ìThereís no pressure to buy it. Development is miles away in any direction,î Gallagher said. ìItís next to a dump. I canít support it. There are too many fleas on the deal.îGallagher also cited the possibility that someday Anderson or his heirs might decide to put a fast food restaurant on the cell tower parcel, leaving the city open to a ìshakedown.îBryarly said the countyís approval of the cell tower on the parcel prevents Anderson or his heirs from using the property for anything other than a cell communication tower.Paige said he opposed the purchase because the city canít afford to maintain the parks it already has.ìWe need to stop buying new land, and Iím not going to support any more purchases of TOPS land until we as a city figure out how weíre going to pay (to maintain) existing parks,î he said.ìThe parks department has been hit dramatically over the last couple of years,î Bryarly said. ìOur budget has gone from $21 million in the general fund to $17 million, and last year it was $3 million.îWhen voters extended the TOPS program in 2003, they allowed 6 percent of TOPS revenue to go to maintenance. In November, voters allowed 15 percent to go to maintenance for the next two years, she said.With the exception of maintenance, TOPS funds can only be used to acquire open space, Bryarly said.ìTOPS is a citizensí initiative passed by voters to direct City Council to acquire open space in and outside the city,î said Mayor Lionel Rivera. ìThatís exactly what weíre doing.îWhen Corral Bluffs Open Space will be open to the public is unknown.ìWe canít open it until the master plan is completed,î Bryarly said. ìWe canít start the master plan until all of the studies have been completed and we have a good understanding of what resources are in Corral Bluffs.îVolunteers from local colleges and paid consultants are conducting the studies, she said.ìUntil we know we can adequately maintain the open space, it will be difficult for us to open Corral Bluffs,î she said. ìUnfortunately, I donít have a good timeline of when thatís going to be.îMeanwhile, CoBA members have been removing trash from the Corral Bluffs open space area and conducting private tours. Council member Bernie Herpin, one of six council members who voted in favor of the purchase, commended CoBA for its efforts. ìWe have a group of citizens who are doing an admirable job of taking care of that area and raising public awareness about it,î he said.About TOPS (www.springsgov.com)* Currently, the TOPS Program has funded $46,164,050 for 13 open space projects!* TOPS funds have been used to leverage more than $26,229,667 million matching funds in the form of grants and donations.* TOPS open space projects conserve land on grasslands, bluffs and mesas, foothills, stream corridors and riparian areas.* Total Open Space acres preserved through TOPS partnership and acquisition is†6,178 acres.
