By Grant Henderson
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department manages over 43,000 acres, protecting wildlife habitats and preserving natural areas for recreational enjoyment, according their website. They have accomplished this using grants, bonds and tax money. What many may not realize is the OSMP charter also allows them to purchase land for “shaping the development of the city and disciplining growth.”
History of Boulder OSMP
Land purchases by city government organizations started in 1898 and continues up to today. From the late 1910s through the 1930s, various organizations had a hand in improving the parks including the Lions Club, the Depression-era Conservation Corps and the Jaycees.
The underlying tension between conservationist Boulderites and developers came to a head in the mid-’60s when a developer wanted to build a hotel on Enchanted Mesa. The protesters got the city to condemn the land and force the developer to sell it. The conservationists raised the money to purchase it and Enchanted Mesa is now a part of the mountain parks system.
History of Boulder OSMP
Land purchases by city government organizations started in 1898 and continues up to today. From the late 1910s through the 1930s, various organizations had a hand in improving the parks including the Lions Club, the Depression-era Conservation Corps and the Jaycees.
The underlying tension between conservationist Boulderites and developers came to a head in the mid-’60s when a developer wanted to build a hotel on Enchanted Mesa. The protesters got the city to condemn the land and force the developer to sell it. The conservationists raised the money to purchase it and Enchanted Mesa is now a part of the mountain parks system.
CU Boulder from Enchanted Mesa. Courtesy
In 1967, the city passed a sales tax increase to help pay for the Open Space, “the first time citizens in any U.S. city had voted to tax themselves specifically for open space,” according to their website. The measure passed with a 57% majority. When the rate was raised in 1989, it passed with a 73% majority, proving the importance of the project had grown for the people of Boulder.
A Change in the Winds?
Lately, however, support seems to be flagging. Citizens of the City of Boulder reliably support tax extensions and raises to support the OSMP, only once voting down in 1996. The surrounding county, on the other hand, has had a much closer split.
Proponents of the Open space program point out how important the program is to preserve the Boulder Valley area. According to a Boulder Weekly article from 2009, The program is used as a way to stop urban sprawl and preserve local wildlife. They argue the sales tax is negligible and provides a great benefit to current and future residents of Boulder.
Opponents argue the Open space initiative has made real estate in Boulder County prohibitively expensive and the program is bloated. Many felt a distrust in how the money was being spent.
In a Daily Camera article covering the elections last November, Buzz Burrell, a member of the Boulder Outdoor Coalition, said, “We love open space – that is not the question. The question is, ‘What are they going to do with our money?'” The Coalition generally supports OSMP initiatives, but had withheld support this election season, according to the article.
This attitude might be the future of the Open Spaces program. An open space ballot measure was shot down last year and Issue 1B on this year’s ballot, which would increase sales taxes, passed by less than a percentage point. It makes sense for people’s priorities change during a recession, but there is a undercurrent of distrust running through the people. The recession will, no doubt, end but that distrust will be harder to shake.
In 1967, the city passed a sales tax increase to help pay for the Open Space, “the first time citizens in any U.S. city had voted to tax themselves specifically for open space,” according to their website. The measure passed with a 57% majority. When the rate was raised in 1989, it passed with a 73% majority, proving the importance of the project had grown for the people of Boulder.
A Change in the Winds?
Lately, however, support seems to be flagging. Citizens of the City of Boulder reliably support tax extensions and raises to support the OSMP, only once voting down in 1996. The surrounding county, on the other hand, has had a much closer split.
Proponents of the Open space program point out how important the program is to preserve the Boulder Valley area. According to a Boulder Weekly article from 2009, The program is used as a way to stop urban sprawl and preserve local wildlife. They argue the sales tax is negligible and provides a great benefit to current and future residents of Boulder.
Opponents argue the Open space initiative has made real estate in Boulder County prohibitively expensive and the program is bloated. Many felt a distrust in how the money was being spent.
In a Daily Camera article covering the elections last November, Buzz Burrell, a member of the Boulder Outdoor Coalition, said, “We love open space – that is not the question. The question is, ‘What are they going to do with our money?'” The Coalition generally supports OSMP initiatives, but had withheld support this election season, according to the article.
This attitude might be the future of the Open Spaces program. An open space ballot measure was shot down last year and Issue 1B on this year’s ballot, which would increase sales taxes, passed by less than a percentage point. It makes sense for people’s priorities change during a recession, but there is a undercurrent of distrust running through the people. The recession will, no doubt, end but that distrust will be harder to shake.
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