The City of Colorado Springs has a .1% sales tax that provides funding for the acquisition, development and preservation of trails, open space and parks, it’s call Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS). TOPS was passed by Colorado Springs voters in April of 1997, and renewed in 2003. Several other cities across Colorado have established a TOPS tax to encourage, foster and promote public-private partnerships in the preservation of open space lands, trails and parks.
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department is responsible for managing the funds, with oversight from the TOPS Working Committee. The TOPS Committee is made up of city residents appointed to monitor the budget, proposed purchases and projects, and make sure TOPS dollars are spent as voters intended.
Over the past 24 years, Colorado Springs’ TOPS funding has been used to preserve over 6200 acres of open space in the Pikes Peak region. It has built more than 32 parks and constructed close to 50 miles of urban trails. The TOPS sales tax generates approximately $9 million annually and is leveraged through grants and private funds. The Colorado Springs Parks Master Plan is used as a guide for land purchases and helps determine where trails and parks will be constructed. But, anyone – individual members of the public, property owners, organizations, TOPS Working Committee members, the Parks and Recreation Department and other agencies – can apply for TOPS funding. All requests must be submitted using the TOPS Application.
Applications are studied and reviewed by the Parks and Recreation staff, then recommendations are provided to the TOPS Working Committee; if supported by the Committee it will be presented for approval to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and final approval by the City Council.
The Value of Trails, Open Space and PARks
The founder of Colorado Springs, General William Jackson Palmer, believed in cultivating healthy communities with ample green space, urban forests, and natural scenery. In 2017, The Trust for Public Land measured the economic value and fiscal impacts of parks and land conservation in Colorado Springs. The study illustrates that parks, trails, open spaces, and facilities are key economic drivers that contribute millions in economic benefits every year. Outdoor recreation contributes to the high quality of life, which plays an important role in attracting business and employees to the city. The benefits of parks and open space include: enhanced property value, stormwater infiltration, air pollution removal, tourism, recreational use, and a healthy community which saves on health care costs.
The recreational opportunities available in the Pikes Peak region enhance the reputation of Colorado Springs as a world-class destination, attracting roughly 20 million people interested in outdoor and sports–related activities to visit every year. These visitors spend $135 million annually in the local economy and generate $6.36 million in local taxes.
For every $10 of sales tax collected in Colorado Springs, 1¢ goes towards TOPS. Despite the clear economic and social benefits of trails, open space, and parks Colorado Springs has one of the lowest TOPS tax in the front range. Our TOPS tax is far behind neighboring cities, only bringing in $9 milling in revenue each year. Denver collects 25¢ for it’s parks and trails. The Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) is spearheading the campaign to not only renew TOPS in Colorado Springs, but to increase it. It is critical to elevate the value of parks in our city and increase TOPS from .1% to .25%.
Our outdoor spaces are important and it costs money to create and maintain trails, parks and open space. We want your 2¢… pennies for parks, small change for big gains! TOSC is working hard to put this initiative on the ballet in August of 2021. We hope you will stand with us and vote to support funding for trails, open space and parks.
Without TOPS some of our community’s best parks, favorite trails and pristine open spaces would not exist. Stratton Open Space was one of the first properties to be preserved. Followed by Blodgett and Red Rock Canyon Open Space. All three were targets for local development.
The commercial vision for Red Rock Canyon was a private golf course with high rise hotels and luxury townhouses. Instead the City used TOPS money to purchase the 789 acres of land and preserved it as a recreational open space.
TOPS has had a significant impact on our community – thousands of acres of open space, dozens of parks, miles of trails – it’s hard to image life in Colorado Springs without the amazing outdoor amenities TOPS has helped to create and protect.
TOPS funding contributed to all of or portions of these properties:
America the Beautiful Park
Austin Bluffs Open Space
Bear Creek Trail
Blodgett Peak Open Space
Bluestem Prairie Open Space
Buckskin Charlie Park
Chamberlain Trail
Coleman Park
Corral Bluffs Open Space
Cottonwood Creek Trail
Deerfield Hills Community Center
Dr. Frank Houck Park
El Pomar Youth Sports Complex
Eugene McCleary Park
Frank Castello Park
Foothills Trail
Garden of the Gods Park
Gold Camp Park
Gossage Youth Sports Complex
High Chaparral Open Space
High Meadows Park
Horace Shelby Park
Homestead Trail
Iron Mountain
Jack Templeton Park
James Smith Sr. Park
John Stone Park
John Venezia Park
Judge Lunt Park
Kathleen Marriage Park
Ken Jordan Park
La Foret Trail
Laura Gilpin Park
Marshall Sprague Park
Memorial Park
Manitou Incline
Midland Trail
North Cheyenne Canyon
Pikes Peak Greenway
Pikeview Reservoir
Powers Trail
Prairie Grass Park
Pring Ranch Park
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Rock Island Trail
Rockrimmon Trail
Roy Benavidez Park
Sand Creek Trail
Shooks Run Trail
Sinton Trail
Skyline Trail
Snowy River Park
Soaring Eagles Park
Springs Ranch Park
Stratton Open Space
Stetson Park
Stetson Trail
Union Meadows Open Space
Ute Valley Park
West Creek Park
Wildflower Park
Wilson Ranch Park
Woodmen Trail
With your support, Colorado Springs can continue to develop as a prime city for outdoor recreation, both as a major destination for outdoor enthusiasts and a beautiful city of happy, healthy residents. Small change can lead to big gains for each and every Colorado Springs resident. By investing an extra one and a half cents per each ten dollar purchase, we ensure that children will have access to safe parks, runners and cyclists have well-maintained trails and pieces of our natural heritage will be preserved for future generations.