Opponents plan to sue to prevent land swap

The City Council voted Tuesday to trade park land to The Broadmoor hotel.

colorado springs» The group Save Cheyenne last week said it plans to sue city leaders to stop them from giving the Strawberry Fields property to The Broadmoor.

The land trade was approved by City Council on Tuesday.

Bill Louis, an attorney for Save Cheyenne, pointed to an 1885 decision — when Colorado Springs dedicated the 189.5 acres off Mesa Avenue as “a public park” — as grounds for Save Cheyenne to file suit because the city “has no power to deed that land,” he said.

With a 6-3 vote, the council approved a resolution for the land swap. The city will receive more than 480 acres and trail easements and The Broadmoor will get the Strawberry Fields property.

The Broadmoor said it will build a riding stable and picnic area on about 9 acres of Strawberry Fields and allow the Palmer Land Trust to hold a conservation easement to keep the rest of the parcel open for public hiking, biking and horseback riding. The hotel is owned by the Anschutz Corp., whose Clarity Media Group owns The Gazette.

Richard Skorman, a former city councilman and the president of Save Cheyenne, a group formed to “protect and save the wildlife, parks and character of the Cheyenne Mountain area,” said his organization wants to slow the process through legal action.

“Our hope is to just keep delaying it,” he said. “The longer it gets delayed, the better it’s going to be.”

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services director Karen Palus said it could be a year before the deal is completely done. The council resolution states that “environmental studies, survey work, title examination and other reviews must be completed prior to closing.”

Skorman said Save Cheyenne hopes to stall the process and force the city’s hand to revise its master plan for Cheyenne Canyon. He said a revision for the area is long overdue. Save Cheyenne would prefer the Strawberry Fields parcel be included in such a plan to help prevent The Broadmoor from changing the agreement.