Western Land Group, Inc. 

Public Lands Specialists

Summit Phase III Closed

On April 6, 2001, Phase III of the Summit Land Exchange was completed. Under this exchange in Summit County, Colorado, 65 acres of National Forest System lands near Breckenridge were conveyed to Summit County and the Town of Breckenridge, in exchange for 165 acres of the Parkville property in the upper reaches of the Swan River drainage. This brings the total acres of the Parkville property conveyed to the public up to 1,294 acres via land exchanges facilitated by Western Land Group. The approximately 50 acres that remain will be conveyed directly to Summit County in exchange for 41 transferable development rights ("TDR’s") by mid-2001. These TDR’s will then be used within suitable "receiving sites" as approved by either Summit County or Breckenridge.

This acquisition would not have been possible without the patience and cooperation of the property’s owner Bob Gilman of Seattle, Washington. Combined with the efforts of the Summit County and Breckenridge open space programs, the acquisition of Parkville engineered by WLG brings the total of land protected in the upper Swan to 2,942 acres. According to Adam Poe of WLG, the Summit Phase III exchange was especially satisfying since the 65 acres acquired by the Summit County and Breckenridge open space programs will allow those entities to develop trail systems and protect the parcel from development on steep slopes.

Public acquisition of the Parkville property has been complex and rewarding. It’s a clear demonstration of what can happen when all the players; the property owner, the Forest Service, local governments, the community and third-party land exchange proponents, work towards a common goal.