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Duncan Ranch rights purchased
No residential neighborhood or strip mall will ever be built on a 475-acre property about 6 miles northwest of central Castle Rock. The development rights on the historic Duncan Ranch were purchased Monday for $1.1 million.
By By: Christine McManus
No residential neighborhood or strip mall will ever be built on a 475-acre property about 6 miles northwest of central Castle Rock. The development rights on the historic Duncan Ranch were purchased Monday for $1.1 million.
The 475-acre working ranch belongs to William "Doc" Duncan and his son, Bill Duncan. Monday's deal attached a perpetual conservation easement to the title deed of the ranch property. The conservation easement regulates forever what can and cannot happen to the property. No one can ever build a residential neighborhood or commercial development on the property, for example, but cattle ranching and alfalfa farming is allowed.
A Castle Rock-based nonprofit organization, the Douglas County Land Conservancy, organized the deal. Members of the conservancy, most of whom live across Douglas County, helped pay for the deal. In addition, The Nature Conservancy, Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Division of Wildlife contributed significantly. Such partnerships have preserved thousands of acres in the last decade across the fastest-growing county in the nation.
Bill Duncan will continue to live on the ranch, which is on West Plum Creek, southwest of Sedalia at the intersection of Colorado 67 and Highway 105. "Doc" Duncan lives in Castle Rock. The father and son decided to preserve the property after developers several years ago inquired whether the property was up for grabs.
"This place has always been an inspiration for me as an artist. I'd like to share that inspiration from the wildlife and the land with others," said 60-year-old Bill Duncan.
While Bill Duncan said he is elated and grateful to have the property preserved forever, this is just the beginning of his dream. He wants to make the property an artistic and cultural haven for photographers, painters, film makers, sculptors and writers. He said his first goal, however, is to get a land stewardship plan in place.
Alfalfa and corn were the main crops farmed on the land. Dairy cattle were raised on the ranch until the mid 1960s, when many of the dairy farms in the area ceased operations.
The Duncan Ranch is less than a mile southwest of Sedalia. Cherokee Ranch, Lambert Ranch and Pine Cliff Ranch are properties nearby that are also limited to agricultural activities on hundreds of acres.
"Preserving this ranch could lead to other preservation efforts in the West Plum Creek Valley, which is dotted by ranches and large-lot development but is under constant pressure for higher-density developments," said Jane Boand, president of the conservancy.
The deal took more than a year to close because multiple funding partners were involved.
"We spent a considerable amount of time going over the easement language until it satisfied all parties, including the land owner and the funding partners," Boand said.
The Douglas County Land Conservancy has preserved from development more than 6,000 acres in the county since the organization's inception in 1989. The nonprofit conservancy is managed by a volunteer board of directors whose members live in Douglas County.
The 475-acre working ranch belongs to William "Doc" Duncan and his son, Bill Duncan. Monday's deal attached a perpetual conservation easement to the title deed of the ranch property. The conservation easement regulates forever what can and cannot happen to the property. No one can ever build a residential neighborhood or commercial development on the property, for example, but cattle ranching and alfalfa farming is allowed.
A Castle Rock-based nonprofit organization, the Douglas County Land Conservancy, organized the deal. Members of the conservancy, most of whom live across Douglas County, helped pay for the deal. In addition, The Nature Conservancy, Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Division of Wildlife contributed significantly. Such partnerships have preserved thousands of acres in the last decade across the fastest-growing county in the nation.
Bill Duncan will continue to live on the ranch, which is on West Plum Creek, southwest of Sedalia at the intersection of Colorado 67 and Highway 105. "Doc" Duncan lives in Castle Rock. The father and son decided to preserve the property after developers several years ago inquired whether the property was up for grabs.
"This place has always been an inspiration for me as an artist. I'd like to share that inspiration from the wildlife and the land with others," said 60-year-old Bill Duncan.
While Bill Duncan said he is elated and grateful to have the property preserved forever, this is just the beginning of his dream. He wants to make the property an artistic and cultural haven for photographers, painters, film makers, sculptors and writers. He said his first goal, however, is to get a land stewardship plan in place.
Alfalfa and corn were the main crops farmed on the land. Dairy cattle were raised on the ranch until the mid 1960s, when many of the dairy farms in the area ceased operations.
The Duncan Ranch is less than a mile southwest of Sedalia. Cherokee Ranch, Lambert Ranch and Pine Cliff Ranch are properties nearby that are also limited to agricultural activities on hundreds of acres.
"Preserving this ranch could lead to other preservation efforts in the West Plum Creek Valley, which is dotted by ranches and large-lot development but is under constant pressure for higher-density developments," said Jane Boand, president of the conservancy.
The deal took more than a year to close because multiple funding partners were involved.
"We spent a considerable amount of time going over the easement language until it satisfied all parties, including the land owner and the funding partners," Boand said.
The Douglas County Land Conservancy has preserved from development more than 6,000 acres in the county since the organization's inception in 1989. The nonprofit conservancy is managed by a volunteer board of directors whose members live in Douglas County.
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