Save Section 16

About Section 16

Manitou Section 16 is a 640-acre State Land Board parcel located in the foothills between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs.  The property has retained its natural character, defined by spectacular geological exposures, native plant communities, and important wildlife habitat; it remains undeveloped despite its proximity to a large and growing urban population.  The property is a key feature in the Front Range Mountain Backdrop, connects Red Rock Canyon and Bear Creek Canyon to thousands of acres of park, open space and forest areas, buffers Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs, and supports a variety of recreational uses.  Manitou Section 16 has been leased for public use by both El Paso County and the City of Colorado Springs since 1972.  The current lease expires on December 31, 2010.

Threats

The State Land Board’s mission is to generate income from its land holdings.  The State Land Board negotiated a potential sale of Section 16 in 1995.  The near loss of the property was a catalyst for the eventual passage of the Trails Open Space and Parks (TOPS) tax in 1997, which will potentially fund a large portion of the Section 16 purchase price in 2010, if a successful sale is negotiated.  Purchasing Manitou Section 16 from the State Land Board prior to the end of the current lease term is the best mechanism residents have to ensure preservation of this magnificent parcel in perpetuity.

Urgency

In 2007, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) awarded the City of Colorado Springs $1 million toward the acquisition of Manitou Section 16 with the condition that the City acquire the property by December 31, 2010.  Estimated values of the property varied widely at the time of the award.  A Rocky Mountain Land Valuation Specialists appraisal commissioned by the State Land Board valued the property at $8.9 million.  A Hunsperger & Weston, Ltd. appraisal, commissioned by the City of Colorado Springs, valued the property at $3.2 million.  Dave Peterson, a respected Colorado real estate appraiser, was jointly hired by the City of Colorado Springs and the State Land Board to conduct a third party appraisal.  Peterson’s appraisal established a fair market value for Section 16 at $2.816 million—consistent with the Hunsperger & Weston appraisal.  The State Land Board has rejected the appraisal.

Funding Needed & Deadline

If the impasse over an agreed upon purchase price continues, the City will lose the $1 million GOCO grant in the fall of 2009.  If a deal can be reached, Palmer Land Trust has committed to raise $640,000 to match up to $1.75 million from the TOPS program in order to enable the City to acquire fee title to the property in 2010.  If a deal can’t be reached, the City will have to decide weather or not it wants to renegotiate a lease based upon a State Land Board property valuation it disagrees with (the recreational lease is 1% of the appraised value, annually; the current lease is $40,000/year and could increase nearly four fold.)  State Land Board Director Brownell Bailey says he will commission a development plan for the property to help establish what he describes as a more realistic appraisal value.