What could have been a residential development around Pennsylvania Gulch Trailhead near the town of Blue River is now being preserved as open space and will serve as a trail connector for the Wakefield/Blue River Trail thanks to an upcoming sale.

Breckenridge teamed with Summit County to purchase what is referred to as the Coronet Subdivision at the end August for $437,500 from Blue River Estates Incorporated. The two were seeking to re-establish a trail leading from Wakefield Sawmill to Fredonia Gulch through an easement on the edge of the property. 

“Currently in that location, there isn’t legal access from one part of the trail to the other, so this would secure that,” open space and trails manager Duke Barlow said.

At a Nov. 26 Breckenridge Town Council meeting officials gave initial approval to loop the town of Blue River into the purchase as the primary stakeholder. Blue River plans to contribute $306,250, which means Breckenridge and Summit County will be able to recoup some of their contributions. 

The three owning entities will enter into an agreement to share management responsibilities including forest health, trail construction and maintenance. Around 70% of these responsibilities will fall on Blue River while 15% will be Breckenridge’s and the remaining 15% will be Summit County’s. 

At the time of the August purchase, Breckenridge and Summit County weren’t set on making the entirety of the property open space 

“We weren’t sure of Blue River’s level of interest (in the purchase) and we thought we could potentially put an easement on this property and then flip it and try to sell it to somebody that wanted it,” Barlow said, noting the lot is technically zoned for residential development. 

Now that Blue River is a part of the purchase, there will be what council member Steve Gerard referred to as “robust” protections to ensure the open space and the trail through the edge of the property remains in perpetuity.

With Blue River’s participation, Breckenridge will be able to recoup $153,125 of the $218,750 it originally spent on the purchase. 

The 0.7-acre parcel is surrounded by land belonging to the White River National Forest and contains a stretch of Pennsylvania Creek. Officials from all three owning entities say they have heard from numerous constituents who wanted to see the trail which ran through the edge of the property re-established.

According to a staff memo, the Wakefield/ Blue River Trail connection will enable residents and visitors to travel between Breckenridge and Blue River without the need of a vehicle. Part of the trail is located close to the Ice Rink bus stop.

The sale will have to be approved by Breckenridge officials one more time before it is finalized.