Thornton land planning includes community, continuing ownership

THORNTON — The city of Thornton has said it doesn’t want to own land forever in Weld and Larimer counties.

But it’s going to be a few more years, at least.

“We have no near-term plans to sell,” said Emily Hunt, deputy director of infrastructure for Thornton. “But eventually … ”

The trailing off into silence speaks to the complexities of divesting an original 20,500 acres the city accumulated in the mid-1980s. About 1,800 acres have been sold or swapped over the past 30 years, according to Hunt. She helps guide Thornton in this awkward role…