What is SWAP?

SWAP is a growing non-profit and grass-roots alliance of landowners, businesses, local governments, other organizations, and residents that are concerned about the effects of poorly planned growth on the rural small-town character and quality of life in Southwest Weld County.

What can SWAP do for you?

Most local governments in Southwest Weld County desire some land preservation and recognize that it’s a regional issue, but they haven’t yet agreed on a regional approach to planning, funding, and providing for it.   SWAP proposes a way to plan and fund land preservation under a regional program that would help to create community separators, expand outdoor recreation areas, preserve wildlife and unblocked vistas, and maintain clean water and air.

How can SWAP preserve land?

SWAP would form a Title 32 Special District (like local school and fire districts) that:

1) Is dedicated solely to land preservation.

2) Has bonding and taxing authorities to fund land preservation.

3) Would include Southwest Weld County communities along the I-25 corridor.

To avoid many of the difficulties in forming an entirely new special district, SWAP would expand a small special district that already exists: the South Weld Metropolitan District (SWMD).

Expanding the SWMD will require approval from other local districts, governments, and voters.  SWAP is well on its way to obtaining local district and government approvals.  Voters will be asked to approve SWMD expansion through two measures on this next November’s election ballot:

1) Expand SWMD boundaries.

2) Approve a small mill levy that would fund land preservation.

Both measures will need voter approval to authorize this land preservation solution.  

How would lands be preserved?

The new SWMD would only work with willing landowners in the region to purchase permanent land preservation agreements or titles to their lands as they prefer.  Lands would be ranked based on  their ability to provide community separators, provide outdoor recreation opportunities including trails, preserve sensitive wildlife habitats, maintain working farms, and costs.  The highest-ranking lands would be preserved first.  SWMD revenues would be leveraged with matching funds from local, state (GOCO), federal, or other sources whenever possible.  This would lower SWMD costs for lands that have matching funds and thus improve their rankings.