After a controversial measure to sell federal public lands was dropped from the GOP’s big tax and spending bill earlier this summer following intense backlash, many communities in the Mountain West are considering how to protect and advocate for public land within their boundaries.
Several city councils and county boards signed resolutions and more than 300 elected leaders in Western states penned a letter supporting public lands and opposing their sale.
Now, one Colorado county is taking further action to ensure long-term protections. Commissioners in Pitkin County, Colo., home to Aspen, voted to rezone about half a million acres of federal land to prevent future development.
Commissioners made the move in response to Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s failed proposal to sell federal public lands to build housing.
Instead of “Rural and Remote” or “Agricultural/Residential,” the land will be classified as “Resource Government.” Areas zoned for ski resorts are unaffected.
The commissioners also excluded all state trust land in the county after letters from Colorado’s state land board expressed concern over how the move to rezone might interfere with its mandate to generate revenue for Colorado schools.
Changing the zoning of the federal land to “Resource Government” won’t affect how it’s used or managed, said Suzanne Wolff, Pitkin County’s community development director. But it will likely make it harder to develop that land for housing, for example, if it is ever transferred to private ownership.
“If there's something you want to do with that piece of property that's not allowed, then you would have to go through a rezoning process with the county,” Wolff said.
The “Resource Government” zone district has been on Pitkin County’s books since 2006 and is intended to “preclude residential development on lands in federal ownership” and “reflect the resource conservation uses that exist on those lands.” However, it has never been used.
Wolff said the rezone effort, which goes into effect on Sept. 20, fits in with the county’s community development goals of protecting rural, open spaces.
“Public lands are really critical to our area, and so we want to protect those,” she said.
About 85% of Pitkin County is federal or state public land.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
