Water district sells Pierce land to Weld school district

FORT COLLINS — The Fort Collins-Loveland Water District has sold 145 acres of land in Pierce to Weld RE-9 School District, which will use the land to expand their portfolio for future projects, according to a press release.

The $942,000 sale of the Alkire Farm property closed June 30. It was the same price that the water district paid for the property in February 2024, completing a cost-neutral transaction that helped secure water rights for the district.  

The site about 20 miles east of Fort Collins is one of several locations that Weld County RE-9 is considering for a future school. 

“While FCLWD isn’t in the business of acquiring land, we are always looking for additional water rights to add to our water portfolio,” Chris Pletcher, FCLWD general manager, said in a statement. “The owner of the land approached us when they were looking for a buyer and we began conversations. We determined it was a mutually beneficial transaction for both parties. The current generation of the Alkire family had reached retirement age and didn’t have anyone interested in taking over the farm. Selling the land allowed the family to move on to the next chapter of their lives.”

FCLWD is leasing back the land for three years to complete the process of changing the water shares to residential use through water court. That process includes completing infrastructure upgrades and restoring the land to dryland grass.

“The District has made it a priority to ensure (that) neighboring residents continued to receive irrigation water,” according to the press release. “Because agricultural irrigation systems are highly interconnected, these efforts were essential to maintaining uninterrupted access for adjacent users while responsibly managing resources for the future. The District will also construct recharge ponds onsite to replace historic return flows for the benefit of downstream water rights.”

The District also worked with a previous tenant farmer to relocate several structures and repurpose construction materials, such as structural steel and lumber.

“Throughout the process, our team heard so many stories about the history of the land, dating back to the early 1900s,” Pletcher said. “While it was bittersweet to close one chapter of agricultural history, we’re proud to play a role in supporting a new chapter for the community. Generations of children played on this land as part of a family farm, and now they’ll hopefully play here again when it becomes home to a new school.”

While plans for construction of the new school are not immediate, the Weld County RE-9 will retain the land as a long-term asset.

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