City Land Exchange and Potential Composting Facility - City of Longmont Skip to main content
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Project Overview

A potential land exchange between two City-owned properties southeast of the Longmont city limits is being considered by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Longmont City Council. This exchange would be between the City’s Tull Property (owned by Utilities and Public Works) and its Distel Property (owned by Open Space), both of which are just north of Weld County Road 20 1/2.

 

If the exchange is approved, the Distel Property may be considered as a site for a future composting facility, while the Tull Property would enhance the City’s open space resources.

Map showing the location of the Distel and Tull properties, southeast of the Longmont City limits and north of Weld County Road 20.5.
The Land Exchange
  • A utility-owned property with open space potential: One of these parcels, the property also known as “Tull, was purchased with utility and public works funding but would be well-suited for use as open space due to its location near Boulder Creek, which would also help reinforce Longmont’s buffer. This land has seen less intensive industrial activity than the Distel Property.
  • An open space-owned property that would be difficult to restore: The other parcel, the property also known as “Distel, was originally purchased with open space funds. It still has gravel mining going on and would require a lot of attention to restore; it could, however, be well-suited to an alternative use such as a composting facility or fire training center.  
  •  PRAB and the Council will review this: As required by the Code, and in order to be good stewards of City resources, the land exchange will be reviewed by both the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the City Council before the City Council makes a final determinationThe Code requires consideration of whether the land is of equivalent value, the ecological value of the parcels, and whether the obtained parcel would better meet the purposes of Longmont’s Open Space Program.  
  • Any uses will be considered later: Nothing is being built at this time. While both parcels have a number of potential uses if the land swap takes place, those uses will be considered separately as they come forward.  
Composting Facility
  • The community has asked for expanded composting: Both city and county officials have had a number of requests for improved composting options, especially since last spring, when A1 Organics began restricting the material it would accept to food and yard waste. 

 

  • The City and Boulder County have been studying options: The City of Longmont and Boulder County have been studying the feasibility of a commercial composting facility to support the City’s and County’s mutual goals for zero waste and emission reduction. The County’s study should be complete in the second quarter of 2025. 

 

  • A California visit showed some possibilities: City and county officials recently visited two state-of-the-art composting facilities in Southern California which reinforced ideas for a city-county partnership in this area. Both facilities were simple and clean with a faint smell of wood and soil. See more about the visit in this video from Boulder County Public Works.  

 

  • Full-service composting could return to Boulder County: If pursued, a commercial composting facility would most likely restore the ability to have full-service composting – including paper products such as coffee filters and napkins – and allow a locally based solution.

Timeline

  • Jan. 14 – City Council refers land exchange to Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB)
  • Feb. 4 – Deadline to submit comments for inclusion in PRAB meeting packet
  • Feb. 10 – PRAB meeting
  • March 10 – Additional PRAB meeting if needed
  • March 25 – City Council first reading
  • April 8 – City Council second reading
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