The Future of Erie’s Open Space and Trails

The town of Erie straddles Boulder and Weld counties. To the west, a behemoth moneybags is buying up agricultural land, halting development from tainting the scenic towns cradling Boulder; to the east, a landmass larger than Delaware sees no threat to its thousands of square miles of pastoral openness. Resulting from this bipolar county placement, Erie is taking a different approach to conservation altogether: preserving open space as the town grows, surgically integrating conservation into development plans.

Included in the town’s codes are requirements for residential developers to build parks, allocated per the amount of people expected. At least 8.5 acres of parks per 1,000 residents is required: half an acre of pocket parks (the wee ones), three acres of neighborhood parks, and five acres of community parks. Granted, there are exceptions; if given permission, developers can waive the requirements and pay into a town fund dedicated to parks, open space and trails. (In the town’s Unified Development Code there exists the clause, “The Board of Trustees shall have discretion to re-allocate acreage… for the benefit of the community.”)

Similar requirements exist for open space. At least 17 acres of open space must be developed per those same 1,000 people, an allocation that, at least on paper, is fairly strict. Each parcel must be at least 10 contiguous acres; no less than 300 feet wide (there could be a lot of joggers out at once); “unencumbered by utility lines” (I should hope so).

Erie’s coffers aren’t as full as Boulder’s, but financially the town is in a good place to accomplish the goals it has set. Currently the Trails and Natural Areas Fund is sitting pretty with $3.7 million, thanks to a successful 2004 ballot measure creating a mill levy for the fund. The last decade has been a busy one for the town’s open space. Currently, there are 31 miles of trail corridor, 607 acres of open space and 149 acres of parks, which is up from 87 acres just four years ago.

The marriage of development and open space procurement is a pragmatic approach. Residents are more likely to prefer developments strapped with green space and soccer goals and bike paths—all within proximity, meaning kids don’t have to wander far and parents don’t have to drive them to softball practice.