Land Transaction Secures 41-Acre Inholding, Conserves Southern Property
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Larimer County has completed a land transaction at Chimney Hollow Open Space that will permanently protect additional property and prevent development within the open space viewshed.
The county is acquiring a 41-acre privately owned inholding within Chimney Hollow Open Space from neighboring landowner Oxbow Land, LLC. An inholding is privately owned land surrounded by publicly protected property.
As part of the same transaction, Larimer County will transfer a 197-acre parcel at the southern end of the open space to Oxbow Land. That property will be protected by a conservation easement, ensuring it remains conserved despite the change in ownership.
Larimer County acquired the 1,847-acre Chimney Hollow Open Space in 2004. Great Outdoors Colorado and the City of Loveland hold a conservation easement covering most of the property.
One exception was a long, narrow 197-acre section at the southern end, referred to by the county as the “tail.” County officials intentionally excluded that parcel from the original conservation easement because of its configuration and uncertainty about whether long-term county ownership would serve future management goals.
Following adoption of the Chimney Hollow Open Space management plan in 2025, the county determined that retaining ownership of the tail was unnecessary.
Under the transaction, Larimer County’s acquisition of the 41-acre inholding permanently protects that property and prevents development of a homesite within the Chimney Hollow Open Space viewshed. Placing a conservation easement on the 197-acre parcel similarly protects that land while eliminating management challenges associated with its long, narrow configuration.
“We are pleased to have been able to work with our neighbor to secure the inholding at Chimney Hollow Open Space and perpetually conserve the southern portion of the property,” said Daylan Figgs, director of the Larimer County Natural Resources Department.
Public access development at Chimney Hollow Open Space remains paused while officials await Northern Water’s recommendations and mitigation plan related to uranium findings at the site.
Source: Larimer County
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