July 19, 2017
Boulder County, Lafayette, Louisville propose plan to acquire Mayhoffer farm
Media Contacts: Vivienne Jannatpour, Boulder County Parks & Open Space (303) 678-6277
Debbie Wilmot, City of Lafayette (303) 661-1225
Emily Kropf, City of Louisville (303) 335-4528
Boulder County, Colo. (July 19, 2017) – In partnership together, Boulder County, the City of Lafayette, and the City of Louisville have proposed to acquire the majority of the Mayhoffer family farm (located at the intersection of South 95th Street and Empire Road between Lafayette and Louisville) for open space.
While there remain a few final details to work out, these three local government partners have for many years hoped that the Mayhoffer farm might one day be preserved as open space. The property’s value as a land buffer between the communities of Lafayette and Louisville - along with the parcel's historic, agricultural, and other open space attributes - has always made it a high priority open space acquisition.
A public hearing has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, at the Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC) meeting in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room of the Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., Third Floor, in Boulder. A staff memo provides a map and additional information about the partners’ proposal to acquire the Mayhoffer farm property. The Boulder County Commissioners are scheduled to consider approving the project at a public hearing at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8. The public is invited to attend and provide comments at either meeting.
“Boulder County and its partners have long wanted to see this family farm preserved as open space,” said Chair of the Board of Boulder County Commissioners Deb Gardner. “We’re pleased to be moving forward with a proposal that will protect this centennial farm, continue the property’s agriculture use, and provide generations to come with an opportunity to visit this special place and understand its importance as an agricultural and natural buffer between two unique cities in the heart of Boulder County. Boulder County is also pleased to have this opportunity to partner with the Cities of Lafayette and Louisville to accomplish a mutually important open space goal.”
“The Mayhoffer property has been on the City of Lafayette’s priority list for more than a decade,” added Lafayette Mayor Christine Berg. “It’s very rewarding to now have this opportunity to preserve historical farmland, bring new open space and recreational areas to the community, and provide ADA access to the regional trail system. We’re grateful for the relationship and collaboration of our Boulder County and Louisville neighbors to also utilize the property as a community buffer.”
"The City of Louisville is excited to partner with Boulder County and the City of Lafayette on the acquisition of the Mayhoffer property,” said Louisville Mayor Bob Muckle. “It is consistently ranked the #1 priority open space purchase identified by the Louisville Open Space Advisory Board and our citizens. This 200-acre parcel will be a great asset to the community, serving as a tribute to our agricultural heritage. It also represents a key final piece in the open space buffer we’ve been building on the eastern edge of Louisville for the last 25 years. I’m grateful to the Mayhoffer family for their stewardship of their Centennial Farm through generations. We will endeavor to honor that stewardship in our management of the land into the future."
The Mayhoffer Farm is bordered by the Harney Lastoka open space on the north and the Adler-Fingru open space on the east. The partners will acquire ownership of 170.20 acres with associated water rights, two conservation easements over two residential lots totaling approximately 17.40 acres, and one restrictive covenant over a residential lot totaling 11.88 acres for $8.5 million. The county will pay fifty percent of the total price, and the cities will each pay twenty-five percent. The acquisition would include the mineral rights under the entire property. The transaction would prohibit the property from being used for mineral extraction.