Boulder completes $8M purchase of Shanahan Ranch

BOULDER — The city of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks has acquired the $8 million Shanahan Ranch.

“With the completion of this acquisition, the city has acquired one of Boulder County’s oldest working ranches and has achieved one of its highest acquisition priorities over the last five decades,” OSMP wrote in a letter to the Boulder City Council.

The city first eyed the 179-acre property in 1967, when Boulder became first in the nation to approve a tax to buy and maintain open space. The property lies south of the city and west of Colorado Highway 93.

The sellers were Lynn Shanahan, the great-great-grandson of the original 1863 homesteader, and his wife, Sandi Shanahan. The Boulder City Council approved the acquisition in December 2019.

In the agreement, the city will lease back the property to the Shanahans for the next five years.

In OSMP’s letter, it stated that the purchase includes a residence, associated buildings and mineral and water rights. The intention for the land is mostly agricultural, and the proximity of already OSMP-managed trails gives potential to “establish trail connections and access points in the area.”

OSMP acquired some development rights for the property in 1985, but “the fee-acquisition of the property this week will help OSMP fulfill a wide range of ecological, agricultural and recreational open space purposes in the city charter,” according to the OSMP letter.

on Facebook on LinkedIn