Proposed Longmont land swap could make way for a Boulder County compost facility — but concerns mount

A proposed land swap on Longmont’s southeastern edge could bring Boulder County closer to building a long-awaited composting facility. But critics say the plan raises more questions than answers — especially about environmental safety, transparency and fairness.

At the center of the debate is a 115-acre site known as the Distel property, an industrial parcel in unincorporated Weld County currently used for gravel processing and home to an asphalt plant. Public records show the site has a long history of industrial use, including previous oil and gas operations.

Longmont officials are considering transferring the land from the city’s Open Space department to Utilities and Public Works — a move that would allow for public industrial development, potentially including a county-run composting facility.

City officials have not publicly explained their motivations for the deal and declined multiple requests for comment. It’s also unclear whether Longmont would receive compensation from Boulder County or any other partners involved in the swap.

Environmental history raises questions

While the Distel site has been zoned and used for industrial activity for decades, it has never undergone subsurface environmental testing. The city’s 2019 environmental review, completed when it acquired the property from Aggregate Industries (now Holcim), recommended further investigation — but no soil or groundwater testing has been conducted.

That gap has fueled mounting concern among residents and environmental advocates, who worry that contamination could threaten groundwater or infiltrate the compost itself.

“I support compost in general, but this particular site they’re considering is a really bad choice because of industrial activity that’s been going on at the site for decades,” said Ethan Augreen, a longtime environmental activist, 2023 Longmont mayoral candidate, and current member of the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board.

Others question why Boulder County would site a facility outside its own borders — and whether it’s fair for Weld County to bear the environmental burden of Boulder County’s composting needs.

Inside the land swap

The proposed exchange was first presented to Longmont’s City Council on Jan. 14 by Chris Huffer, the city’s assistant director of water and waste. If approved, Utilities and Public Works would take over the Distel site, while the Tull property — located near Boulder Creek — would shift to Open Space and be preserved as green space or used for water storage.

Of the two parcels, Distel is emerging as the preferred option for possible composting. Tull is a former gravel pit, Huffer said, and could take decades to fill. It also lies in a higher-risk flood zone and comes with water rights complications.

“[Distel] was already an industrial site, and when the direction was ‘How quickly can we get to composting?’ it is the most ready,” City Manager Harold Dominguez said at the January meeting.

The search for potential composting sites began last October, when the city council directed staff to find options. In March, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board delayed discussion of the swap, awaiting a closed council executive session. Sources say Longmont is in negotiations with Holcim, which holds a lease on the Distel property through 2033. A revised proposal is expected, though no timeline has been announced.

Pressure builds for a local composting option

The plan comes amid growing regional pressure to develop a local composting solution. Currently, the county sends most of its compostable waste to A1 Organics, a private processor located about 50 miles away in Keenesburg.

In April 2023, A1 Organics began restricting what it accepts, no longer processing items such as greasy pizza boxes and compostable packaging. With fewer materials eligible for composting — and the long haul to Keenesburg — more waste has ended up in landfills. That shift has reignited calls for a closer, full-service composting site to handle the region’s growing organic waste.

A feasibility study expected this spring will help determine how — and where — such a facility could be developed. Longmont officials say Distel’s industrial past makes it a logical candidate for a utility project.

What lies beneath?

For some opponents of the plan, the lack of environmental testing is the dealbreaker.

The 2019 Phase 1 environmental assessment — a standard visual inspection and records review — recommended further testing based on the site’s history. But a Phase 2 assessment, which would include soil and water sampling, has never been conducted.

“There’s a case to be made that as soon as they get the land-use reclassification, it triggers the requirement to do a Phase 2 assessment,” Augreen said. “It makes a lot of sense to just choose a clean site instead of going through all this rigmarole about a contaminated site, right?” he said.

At a Feb. 25 public meeting, county officials briefly discussed other locations, but Distel remains the front-runner. Boulder County has ruled out siting the facility on its own open space lands.

Public pushback and next steps

Public comments submitted to Longmont’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Feb. 10 reflect growing concern. Residents cited risks to bald eagle habitat, a lack of public input and frustration that Boulder County’s waste could be processed in Weld County. Others questioned the timing of the proposal, noting Holcim holds a lease on the property through 2033.

Keith and Susan Schlagel, whose family has lived next to the Distel site for 60 years, raised fairness concerns in a letter to the Utilities Department.

“Utilizing the open space owned by Boulder County for this purpose would be a more efficient, fair and responsible solution,” they wrote.

Danielle Terhune, who lives just south of the site, said she has endured years of truck noise from Holcim’s operations.

“We’ve been told that if the proposal is approved, we will have less noise and trucks. But I don’t see how that’s possible if a recycling compost center will service the entire Boulder County,” Terhune said. “We are asking that you please give our peace back to us.”

Shari Malloy, a Longmont resident since 1986, said she isn’t opposed to the land swap in principle but believes the process lacks key information and public engagement.

“The proposal before you is a good start,” she said, “but needs a lot more input, planning, and specific content before supporting.”