Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove a reference to the Coal Creek loop trail that was proposed, but is not being implemented, in the East Boulder Creek plan. A proposed soft-surface section of trail would have gone to the north of Kenosha Pond and east of Coal Creek, but that portion of trail has been eliminated from the plan.
Boulder County staffers have worked on a plan to transform 1,377 acres near Erie into Prairie Run Open Space, which is expected to include five miles of recreational trails, a play area and a fishing pier.
The East Boulder Creek site is just south of Colo. 52 and west of East County Line Road in the eastern part of the county.
At a meeting Thursday, county commissioners gave conditional approval to a plan for the open space. But they decided that no dogs will be allowed, and public access will be limited in the area north of Kenosha Pond and east of Coal Creek. Workers will install signage in the area.
Some community members at the meeting expressed concern about possible environmental, traffic and other impacts at the site once it opens to the public. Others voiced excitement about having the opportunity to spend time outdoors and enjoy the beauty of the area while also conserving environmental features.
Speaking during the public hearing, Diann Yandrich, who said she has a background in wildlife biology, said she has “watched wildlife diminish” over the past four and a half decades she has lived in the area.
“You’ve done a lot of work planning all this, but maybe there are some open space areas that don’t need to have people walking around on it; that just needs to be for agriculture and for the wildlife that tries to live there,” Yandrich said. “So much has disappeared in 45 years. I don’t hear the bullfrogs anymore. The pheasants are gone. Most of the foxes are gone. And a lot of the wildlife that I used to see in here — it just isn’t there anymore because of all of the people.”
Heidi Wagner, a resource planning manager for Boulder County, said the county has taken wildlife into account while planning for the open space.
“Internally, in our conversations, wildlife and natural resources is where we started. And thanks to our community of wildlife enthusiasts and experts, they had actually collected a lot of the data for the property over the years that then helped inform the proposals that were in the plan. So it was definitely not an afterthought,” Wagner said, emphasizing that 76% of the riparian habitat in the area will be preserved from trails under the plan.
A planned trailhead and where to put it has been one particularly controversial part of the open space plan. County staffers first suggested putting it on 109th Street, which would offer access to nearby RTD transit and possibly connect to the future Boulder to Erie Regional Trail (BERT). But nearby residents said adding a trailhead there would bring increased traffic and visitors to the area.
Staffers also have proposed that a 30-car lot be built near the planned trailhead, along with two ADA-accessible spaces and two trailer spaces.
Speaker John Cooney said Thursday that he’s “very concerned” about increased traffic creating safety hazards for people walking down the street.
“It’s a very friendly walking road, and I’m afraid we’re going to lose that,” Cooney said. “… A big part of our little community over there is being able to walk across the street to see our neighbors. There’s horses and dogs and children. I’m just afraid we’re going to lose our character.”
Cooney added that he prizes his historic home’s “view corridor,” and he doesn’t want to look out his window and see a parking area.
After hearing public feedback, County Commissioners Marta Loachamin and Claire Levy voted 2-0 to approve the plan with modifications, including the dog ban and the limited access.
The site is in a part of the Boulder Valley that has historically been rich with farmland, riparian habitat, streams and ponds. The soil has been disturbed by mining and oil and gas operations, according to a county memo, but county workers have been working to restore the area since the county bought the land more than 25 years ago.
County staffers suggested that the site be opened to the public now by adding nearly five miles of recreational trails while reserving parts of the land for environmental protection and restoration. Throughout most of the site, staffers have proposed that public use should be restricted to trails to preserve agricultural uses and natural resources. But there also are plans to add a shelter house for gatherings.
Staffers hope to open the southwest part of the site as early as next year, in time for the 50th anniversary of Boulder County Parks and Open Space. The southwest section is located north of Jasper Road and mostly between U.S. 287 and 119th Street, while the northeast portion of the site sits north of Kenosha Road.
