Last year, a slew of organizations including the base, city government, Great Outdoors Colorado and The Trust for Public Land sealed the last of nine real estate deals setting aside 700 acres bordering Buckley for conservation and recreation trails. The project required nine deals totaling $22 million in local, state and federal funds. The newly-protected piece of high plains prairie is populated with deer, antelope and cottonwoods — not homes or businesses — shoring up a buffer from the base’s loud and high-tech operations. Part of Buckley’s operations include sensing missile launches around the globe and providing tarmac for Air Force and National Guard operations. The “green necklace” around Buckley will link Signature Park to the forthcoming Triple Creek Greenway. That trail will connect to Aurora’s vast walk and bike trail corridors stretching to Denver and Centennial.
I should highlight the open space on a map.
Nobody cares about my opinion on a blog no one reads, but I will say that I am not happy with this. There is nothing "holy" about acquiring land and putting a fence around it so it can never be used again. All the open space around Buckley is just wasted space. It is not good land. It is ugly, with weeds. There is a pond with algae growing on it. Yes there are a few antelope running around. If Buckley wants a buffer zone, then they should buy it.
My biggest gripe is that I don't think Tower Road between 6th Avenue and Colfax Avenue will ever be built, because this would encroach on their precious open space.
What would happen in my dreams is to relocate Buckley Air Force base to near the Colorado Air and Space Port (formerly Front Range Airport). Spend about $10 billion on building a high tech Space Force Base that would also be used for space travel. Then take the land, more than 1000 acres and sell it at the highest and best use. This is very valuable land, and is worth probably $500,000 per acre. That is $500 million. Use that money to help build the space force base. The days of Buckley are numbered. Just like Lowry close and was redeveloped, the same thing will happen here. Buckley is not going to be here in 30 years.
While I like exurban sprawl better than anyone, it is smarter to have more infill development here. This is in a major city, folks, and it is surrounded on all sides by real estate developments - housing as well as industrial. As a result, development will be pushed farther east. What I am saying is this open space is contributing to the problem of exurban sprawl. Nobody should be getting an award for this.
Wow, I should send this to the Aurora Sentinel as an opinion and see if they publish it.
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