The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Great views, nice spaces
While open space is nice, getting to use that open space is even nicer. And that will be the case with the 106-acre showpiece parcel from the Kochevar open space deal that closed Wednesday.
In a special meeting on Tuesday evening, June 29, the Crested Butte Town Council passed an emergency ordinance that gives the town a trail easement to access the parcel from Smith Hill Road up the Slate River Valley. The land purchase deal closed Wednesday and the town had hoped to have the easement in place before the closing for title insurance purposes. That won’t happen but the easement will give the general public access to the parcel.
Town attorney John Belkin has been working to obtain the easement and has dealt with several landowners in the process. “This is a great trail that provides access to prime open space,” he said. “This really helps tie the deal together.”
The council used the special meeting and emergency ordinance process on Tuesday because the land deal was set to close the next day, on Wednesday, June 30. “We wanted this done before we closed on the property,” Belkin explained.
As part of the negotiations for the trail easement, a previous easement in the same area was vacated. That access was granted to the Kochevar family from former landowner Adelaide Biggs. That easement provided a road easement for the property owner of the acreage to get in and out of the parcel, but it was not stated clearly if the public would be allowed access.
“This is a good deal,” Belkin said. “It is a trail easement versus a big, expensive road easement that could leave a good scar on that hillside.”
The trail easement does come with some restrictions. No motorized vehicles will be allowed. It is a ten-foot wide easement and the trail itself will be three feet wide. It has to be built in a single building season. Dogs will be allowed but no other animals will be permitted. There will be no commercial use of the trail, including commercial Nordic tours.
Town planner John Hess walked the trail that was laid out by local trail guru Don Cook. “There are some switchbacks but it is a nice trail,” he said. “I think it would qualify as an intermediate biking trail.”
“The public part of the easement is the key for this,” said Mayor Leah Williams. “It is a great addition.”
“These guys are working with us. They get some things in a smaller easement and we get some things with clearer public access. This sounds great,” said councilperson Dan Escalante.
Surveyor Norm Whitehead agreed. “It is a real good trail,” he said. “There are nice views and it goes into some nice areas. It is a bit of a workout but very walkable. It will be very nice.”
The council agreed to enter into the easement agreement. They will hold a special council meeting on Monday, July 12 to ratify the emergency ordinance.
The entire open space package gives the town a total of 380 acres of open space that has been owned by the Kochevar family for a century. The land is situated primarily up the Slate River drainage just north and west of Crested Butte.
The Trust for Public Lands is organizing the funding for the purchase. Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant funds donated $2,000,000 toward the piece that closed on Wednesday. The town added another $1 million from its open space fund. The Crested Butte Land Trust is also a partner in the deal and will hold the conservation easement. As of Wednesday at noon, the town will be the owner of the property.
Other easements that would allow access to the property from different points, along with specific details of all the easements, are still being worked out.
