The house atop Iron Mountain that inspired thousands of people in the Pikes Peak Region to rally for the preservation of open space will be torn down.
The City of Manitou Springs signed a contract on Wednesday to purchase 99.5 acres from Tom McGee, who built the home on the summit of Iron Mountain in 1991, enraging the outdoor community and those who wished to protect the visual integrity of the area’s mountain backdrop.
Manitou Springs will pay $1.1 million for the property.
“The house will be coming down,” Manitou Springs mayor Marc Snyder said. “We’ll try to recycle it most of it or find some beneficial use for it, but it’s coming down.
Snyder said trails users will be thrilled to know that the purchase means that the last link of the Intemann Trail will finally be built, though the purchase may mean the trail meanders off its originally planned course.
The Intemann Tral was designed as a link between Ruxton Ave. (near the Cog Railway) and the Section 16 Trail.
“I’m envisioning a running race someday around the hill sides of Manitou Springs,” Snyder said.
The purchased acreage is comprised of three parcels. Manitou Springs has until July 15, 2012, to complete the purchase, but Snyder believes it can be finished by December of this year.
He said Manitou Springs has sales and property taxes that raise about $100,000 a year for preservation of open space. Those taxes are extended through 2020. The city will look for a buyer willing to lease the land to city.
Snyder said he hopes to acquire a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado and perhaps financial assistance from the Trails and Open Space Coalition.
“This is as much Colorado Springs’ backdrop as it is ours,” Snyder said. “But I really think the community will rally around this project. We’ll be able to raise a significant amount. Ultimately, we’d love to get this done without depleting our open-space fund.
The deal ends years of court battles between Manitou Springs and McGee, who built the mountain-top home when Manitou refused to supply utilities to land he intended to develop.
“I think of all who have fought the good fight and advocated for preservation of our mountain backdrop,” Snyder said. “This is a big victory for all of them.”