Markel and Wottge Open Space Plan
Next feedback Opportunity:
View the Proposed Final Plans and Open Space Plan Report
Provide Feedback at the Open Space and Trails Advisory Committee Meeting:
Date: Sept. 28, 2023, Thursday
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Broomfield Community Center, Lakeshore Room, 280 Descombes Drive
See "Key Dates" for details
Please view all Documents under "Documents" Tab on the right of this page. Please submit questions and comments on this project using the comment box below.
Project Background
The City and County of Broomfield is developing a new plan for the Markel and Wottge Open Spaces. This project is an exciting opportunity for Broomfield residents to participate in upgrading the vision for these open spaces. The goal of this project is to evaluate existing natural and cultural resources for both properties, and identify opportunities for public access and site improvements to preserve, restore, and activate the open spaces for public use while maintaining its natural beauty and wildlife habitat.
Site History
There are two separate sites being examined in the plan: the Wottge and Markel Open Spaces.
Wottge Open Space
Watch a video about the Wottge Open Space
Bernhard “Ben” Wottge moved to Colorado from Germany with his family when he was eight years old. The Wottge's purchased the land in 1955 and began farming, planting alfalfa hay, barley, and corn. After a period of drought, they bought cows and added a dairy to their farmstead. The property included a farmhouse, two bin granaries, and a dairy barn among other buildings.
Ben and his four siblings decided to sell part of the property after their parents passed away. He heard of the Broomfield Open Space and Trails Department buying a different property at the time and felt that preserving the Wottge land as open space would be a wonderful idea. Ben and his wife, Pam, continue to live on five acres of the farm planting grass hay. The remaining land is the Wottge Open Space and is planted with winter wheat.
Broomfield Open Space and Trails purchased this land in 2003 to maintain views of the mountains as well as preserve a piece of land that connects Broomfield to its agricultural history. The property has several large cottonwood trees that have been home to a great horned owl nest in past years. The expansive field provides habitat for a number of bird and small mammal species as well as a migration corridor for wildlife.
*The City and County of Broomfield have completed a soil restoration project on the northeast corner of the Wottge Open Space site, near the entrance across from Spyglass Dr. This restoration included soil testing, the removal of 3,476 cubic yards of poor-quality soil, rocks, and debris, and the import of high-quality topsoil and compost. Please know that this work was not part of the Wottge Open Space Plan and has been planned for some time.
Wottge Aerial Current Condition (below)
Markel Open Space
Watch a video about the Markel Open Space
Dr. Bill Markel and his wife Jean moved to Broomfield in 1958 after Dr. Markel left the Army Medical Corps. Broomfield was then described as a “brand new community,” and it turned out to be exactly what they were looking for. The Markels purchased their current property, and what is now open space, in 1968. Bill and Jean enjoyed the property for many years with their four children and the approximately fifty exchange students they hosted over several decades. When they decided to sell part of their original property, they contacted the Broomfield Open Space and Trails Department as a potential buyer so the land would remain as open space.
The City and County of Broomfield purchased the property in 2008. The Open Space has a pond that was built by the Markels shortly after they acquired the property. The pond is lined with tall cottonwoods providing shade and beautiful colors in the fall. Community Ditch also winds through the property. The Markels are happy that people will continue to enjoy the property for years to come the way they and their children did.
*At this time, the City and County of Broomfield does not own Parcel 4 located at 13781 Fox Ridge Drive. This 6-acre parcel is located in the northeast corner of the Markel site map. Even though the area is not owned by Broomfield, the area is being evaluated from a planning perspective to determine how the area could be combined with the larger Markel site in the future.
Markel Aerial Current Condition (below)
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