Land Exchange

The City completed the City Council-approved land exchange with The Broadmoor, officially completing the exchange the last week of December 2016 after an El Paso County District Court judge ruled in favor of the City and The Broadmoor, dismissing all five claims brought by opponents to the land exchange.

Through this exchange, the City gained 371 acres of property and 115 acres of new public trail easements that include an expanded North Cheyenne Cañon Park, secured property for the Manitou Incline, expanded Bear Creek Regional Park, and secured easements for the Chamberlain Trail, Barr Trail, South Cañon Trail, and trails to Hully Gully.

The land exchange from the City to The Broadmoor includes 180+ acres of the area called Strawberry Hill, as well as .55 acres adjacent to the Cog railway. A conservation easement has been placed with the Palmer Land Trust upon the 180+ acres of Strawberry Hill that was transferred to The Broadmoor; the public will continue to have access to all but 8.5 acres of the Strawberry Hill property to ensure conservation and recreation values are protected and public access is provided to the property in perpetuity. The conservation easement defines only an 8.5 acre private building envelope within the 180+ acre parcel to develop a picnicking area, horse stables and trail. In addition, the City received a public access easement over the entire parcel except the building envelope.

The appraised value of the property the City received in the exchange is $3,609,800 which exceeds the appraised value of the property the City transferred, of $2,161,000.

Public park master plan processes for the Strawberry Hill property and North Cheyenne Cañon Park will begin in 2017.

Background:

Following an extensive discussion and public input, relating to the proposed land exchange, in May 2016, the City Council approved a resolution which authorized the land exchange between the City of Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor.

Board and Commission Recommendations:

On April 14, 2016, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted to recommend that City Council approve the Resolution authorizing a land exchange between the City of Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor.
On April 20, 2016, the Colorado Springs Utilities Board voted to recommend the exchange of the CSU-controlled.55 acre parcel located at the base of the Manitou Incline as part of a land exchange between the City of Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor.

Real Estate Appraisals

Barr Trail

Bear Creek Regional Park Parcel 1

Bear Creek Regional Park Parcel 2

Chamberlain Trail South

CS-CSU Parking lot

Final revision of .55 Acre Parcel (CSU Parking Lot)

Incline Parcel 1 and 2

North Cheyenne Canyon Broadmoor

North Cheyenne Canyon Park Project

Final revision of .189 Acre Parcel (North Cheyenne Canyon Park Project)

Overview of Land Exchange

The exchange achieves several major goals identified in the Colorado Springs Parks System Master Plan, including:

Preserving and expanding our open space system
Connecting our trail system
Securing public access to valued recreational trail corridors that currently traverse private lands
Providing additional recreational opportunities within our community for horseback riding and picnicking.

Click here to see an overview map of the land exchange.

March 30, 2016 Meeting Presentation