Longmont council directs purchase of former YMCA property for $4.5 million

Longmont City Council voted 7-0 on July 28 to direct staff to proceed with buying the former YMCA property for $4.5 million. The purchase could close in August or September if the agreement is completed.

The motion directs staff to return with an appropriation, authorizes the mayor to execute the purchase-and-sale agreement and commits $500,000 in earnest money. The city would pay closing costs and use its Recreation Impact Fee fund for the acquisition, the council packet says.

Staff told the council the fund had about $8.4 million available and is restricted to buying and developing new recreational opportunities, leaving roughly $3.9 million for development after the purchase. Staff estimated renovations would take 18 months to two years to meet city and Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The record does not include a final program, line-item renovation budget or separate ADA cost estimate.

Staff also estimated annual operating costs of slightly more than $2 million and projected that the facility would reach 80% cost recovery in about three years. Those figures are estimates, not an appropriation or adopted operating plan.

Council members and residents raised questions about Centennial Pool, child care and community gardens, but the purchase vote did not resolve them. The packet says child-care and Growing Gardens discussions could come later if the purchase proceeded; it does not establish final uses or a follow-up schedule. The property has not closed, and renovations have not begun.