Kanemoto Issue Moves on to Appeal

In rural Boulder County, 2024 has ended with a bang!  Read on...

Kanemoto Conservation Easement- The Fight Continues

A December 30 press release announced that KARES and the plaintiffs will continue their fight to overturn Boulder County's decision to conditionally terminate the Kanemoto Conservation Easement.  The case now moves to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

The Kanemoto Conservation Easement is being vigorously defended by KARES (Keep Airport Road Environmental and Safe), a group of citizens from nearby and throughout Boulder County.  The group believes that the Boulder County Commissioners acted improperly when they conditionally terminated the 41-year-old Kanemoto conservation easement, which would open the door to annexation by the City of Longmont and potential development of over 400 (!!) units on the 40-acre site near the intersection of Airport Road and the Diagonal Highway.  KARES was disappointed, but not deterred, by a November Boulder County District Court ruling that rejected their complaint.  With sponsorship by the Conservation Easement Preservation Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed earlier this year, KARES has already secured pledges for $4800 from generous community donors toward the legal fees for their appeal.  When matched now by donations of others, the group will have the needed funds for the appeal.

KARES lawyer Karen Breslin states, "We continue to believe that the law does not support the Board of County Commissioners' two-to-one decision to terminate the easement and we look forward to raising those arguments with the Colorado Court of Appeals."

The Pro-RURAL Alliance strongly supports the KARES effort and the broader goals of Conservation Easement Preservation Society (CEPS) to protect conservation easements in Colorado.  Conservation easements are important to the goal of preserving rural lands.  The landowners who enter into these legal agreements with the County agree to limit the future use and development of their land to protects its scenic, agricultural, natural habitat, and/or recreational value.  Landowners (and their neighbors) expect just that-- preservation and protection. 

We hope you will decide to kick off 2025 by supporting the KARES effort to defend the Kanemoto Conservation Easement with your tax-deductible contribution, in any amount, at this critical time. Here is the link to the GoFundMe page.

Other News

• The 63rd Street Subdivision issue is in limbo.  As noted, the November hearing resulted in a recommendation for denial by the Planning Commission.  There has been no indication from the applicants about whether they will withdraw their application, amend it, or proceed to the Boulder County Commissioners' hearing.  The group opposing the subdivision continues to monitor the situation.

• We will be meeting with leaders in Erie in early January to discuss issues coming up at the rural/urban interface in that part of Boulder County.

• The work on the update of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan will heat up in 2025.  This joint City of Boulder/Boulder County planning document sets the tone for how development versus protection will play out in the years to come.  We urge you to get involved as your time allows to communicate your wishes.  The main website for the update is linked here.  An input-gathering event is planned with two opportunities to participate on upcoming Saturdays, January 25 and February 8.

  
  

A Few Thoughts on the First Year of the Pro-RURAL Alliance

We've had a good first year of our fledgling new group, and we thank you for being a part of it.  We're convinced our group is needed because the issues "just keep on coming" with no signs of letting up.  (In fact, they are probably accelerating.)  In this past year, we saw inspiring examples of how community awareness, involvement, and actions can make a positive difference in decisions.  Successes in 2024 include:

• the inspiring work of the group that opposed the private tennis complex on Gunbarrel Hill, resulting in withdrawl of the application;

• the committed and informed (and ultimately successful) opposition to a proposed high density zoning change at 111th and Arapahoe in Erie;

• the withdrawl of the event center application on west Niwot Road in the face of organized opposition;

• the vigorous local and County-wide opposition to the 63rd Street subdivision, thus far recommended for denial by Boulder County planning staff and the Planning Commission;

• the determined and vigorous opposition to the County's termination of the Kanemoto Conservation Easement, with the legal complaint still in progress;

• following hours of concerned citizens' input, the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) unanimously voted in November to "stay" the proposal to frack underneath homes in Erie and Boulder County from the "Draco well pad" in Weld County.

A year ago, we had no group, no name, and no website.  We've come a long way, baby!  But there's more work to be done.  In 2025, we'll continue to keep our finger on the pulse of these issues that affect us all, and we will be working on becoming a non-profit.  Please help us by spreading the word, telling us about any issues you know of that are on the horizon, and volunteering to help us on the front lines if you want to get more involved.  We need you!

Thanks for reading.  We wish you a Happy New Year!