River property step toward future corridor

MONTROSE — About a dozen acres along the Uncompahgre River will be dedicated to the city for open space as part of a recently approved addition.

The city council on Thursday approved zoning and annexation of the Talking Water Addition, which totals 17 acres, 3.5 acres are city owned. As part of the agreement between city and developer, 12.5 acres of river property will be dedicated.

"The city has a plan for parks and trails and it (the dedication) is just one more link in creating a complete river corridor ... the ultimate goal is to have them through all city limits," said senior planner Garry Baker.

The addition, located on the Uncompahgre River west of the intersection of Grand Avenue and N. 9th Street, is part of a property already within city limits.

Annexations are the city's best opportunity to get any dedication, river or otherwise, said Community Development Director Kerwin Jensen.

The city is gaining some ground on obtaining river property for a corridor, especially with Cerise and Riverbottom Parks, he said.

"There's still lots of opportunities (for dedications) near Ogden Road, for example," Jensen said.

The dedication becomes effective in 2011, three years from the annexation, Baker said. The city will manage the area as open space for the public. Most of what is being dedicated to the city is jurisdictional wetland, which means it's federally regulated for water quality, he said.

Typically the city requires a minimum of 8 percent of a proposed annexation site to be dedicated as open space, Baker explained. Land annexed to the city then falls under its jurisdiction. This addition finalizes the total building site.

"It's a fantastic acquisition of property for the city, and when I say city I mean the residents," said Mayor Erica Lewis Kennedy. "People have said time and again how important it is for us to have parks and trails. This is a great asset."