Major open space deal north of town close to completion

Phase one is about half of 313 acres on Slate River

One of the most visible parcels of land seen from the town of Crested Butte will be preserved as open space. The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit land conservation organization that has worked in the Crested Butte area before, has put the so-called Kochevar parcels under contract. Those parcels run up the Slate River Valley north of town, and a big chunk can be seen from Crested Butte proper.

The first phase of the project will convey approximately 166 acres of the 313 total acres to the town of Crested Butte in early summer. One hundred and six acres lie directly in the town’s viewshed.
The remaining 147 acres will be turned over to the town in future phases as funds become available.
The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) awarded a $2,007,500 grant last week to the TPL toward the first phase of the project. The town has committed another $1 million in open space funds to the purchase. The TPL will officially convey the first 166 acres of the property to the town on June 30.
The Crested Butte Land Trust (CBLT) will hold the conservation easement on the property. The CBLT will also hold a second conservation easement on 70 acres of land that will be retained by the Kochevar family. Two building envelopes will be allowed on those 70 acres.
The town has committed to holding the deed for the land after the entire 313 acres is purchased from the TPL. The town uses open space funds garnered through the Crested Butte Real Estate Transfer Tax. GOCO funds are accumulated through Colorado lottery sales.
“TPL will go back to GOCO and ask for a grant to help pay for phase two of the project,” explained TPL project manager Justin Spring. “We’ll be asking for another million dollars this summer and a decision will come in November or December. We will be looking for private donations as well and the Crested Butte Land Trust will lead the private fundraising effort. The town is a logical partner to own the property since it has a dedicated revenue source with its transfer tax.”
Crested Butte town planner John Hess said Spring has done the “heavy lifting” on the project. Spring negotiated the contract with the Kochevar family, owners of the land since the 1880s. The TPL also wrote the GOCO grant application and found a way to purchase the whole property at once. The project started about two years ago when a local development group had eyed the parcel to meet the open space requirement demanded by an annexation to Crested Butte. That Foothills annexation has since been put on hold.
“This is an absolutely great piece of property,” said Hess. “It connects to a lot of other open space up Slate River. The visibility from town looking north is fantastic. I’ve been up in those aspens and seen elk migrating through there. It is a great piece of property.”
“It’s phenomenal,” added Spring. “The property serves as the ultimate conservation puzzle piece… connecting four existing open space parcels, buffering National Forest, and providing recreational access to the backcountry. This project couldn’t have happened without GOCO’s support.”
The preservation of the property will not only protect an elk migration corridor, but also maintain much of the property in agricultural use and provide land for non-motorized trails connecting different parts of the valley.
“This will help provide important amenities to our community including hiking, skiing, and biking trails,” said Ann Johnson, executive director of the Crested Butte Land Trust. “We sincerely appreciate the enthusiasm of the Kochevar family to preserve their family’s legacy. The land trust has been working with the Kochevar family for years and we are really pleased the property will be preserved. There are a lot of benefits to the community. It really embodies all the conservation values out there.”
Crested Butte’s mayor, Leah Williams, says given the downturn in the real estate market, this action was a perfect chance to take what could be a very developable piece of property and preserve it as open space. “We believe we had a unique opportunity to preserve this land now,” she said. “It is gorgeous. This acreage is prime view shed for Crested Butte and it enables us to connect Washington Gulch and the Slate River Valleys. It gives us a lot of possibilities.”
TPL, the town and CBLT are busy working to raise funds to protect the remaining portion of the Kochevar property. This will include additional elk habitat, trail connections and high quality wetlands near the Slate River. It can be expected that the 1% for Open Space group along with the Gunnison County Land Preservation fund will be asked to donate toward the project.