"CCOB does not currently intend to fill or maintain water in the reservoirs solely for aesthetic purposes." That line comes from a City and County of Broomfield summary, quoted by Colorado AvidGolfer in September. It tells you more about the homes around Eagle Trace than any listing photo taken over the 14th fairway.
The Eagle Trace golf course at 1200 Clubhouse Drive in central Broomfield closed permanently on October 3, 2026. The course's own message blamed the drought for leaving it "very little water available." Golfweek confirmed that the final rounds were played that day. If you're comparing Broomfield neighborhoods and a home backing onto that land is on your list, you're no longer buying a golf-course view. You're buying a spot beside a parcel whose future depends on three separate parties, and none of them is required to keep it looking the way it did in June.
The water left two years before the golf did
Drought finished the course off, but the closure was set up in August 2024. That month the private owner, Eagle Trace Golf Club LLC, sold the course's water rights to Owl Creek Investments, according to easement agreements and a special warranty deed described by the Broomfield Enterprise. The course leased the water back. Under the sale terms, irrigation from the reservoirs stays available for golf only until November 1, 2026.
Those reservoirs are Nissen No. 1 and No. 2, which sit just off the fairways. Two sources have historically filled them. The Marshall shares deliver water that the Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company diverts from Boulder Creek and Coal Creek through Community Ditch, along East 14th Avenue. The Clear Creek water right arrives through a chain of ditches that also includes Community Ditch. This summer the Enterprise reported that Nissen No. 2 had visibly low water and cracked, dry ground.
So the greens and the ponds were never protected by the land itself. They were protected by water rights, and those rights now belong to someone with no stake in the golf course.
What the city bought in July was a drainage system
Broomfield passed on the water rights in 2024. According to the city manager's report to Council, as covered by the Broomfield Enterprise, staff judged the roughly $4 million price "overvalued" and found the city didn't need the water. The city came back for the reservoirs for one reason. The Nissen reservoirs have been part of Broomfield's stormwater drainage system for about 40 years, city spokesperson Julie Story told the Enterprise. Owl Creek's asking price fell from $3 million to $1.5 million, and the city offered $500,000.
The deal closed in July 2026. A September presentation by the Eagle Trace Community Development Corporation calls it a reservoir easement. Under it, the city must maintain the reservoirs and drains to Colorado Division of Water Resources standards, but it has no obligation to supply irrigation water to the course. Colorado AvidGolfer described the same deal as the city agreeing to pay $500,000. Story put the priority plainly there: "The primary purpose of this acquisition has always been to secure the reservoirs for stormwater management; any available water serves as an added benefit in years when hydrologic conditions allow."
The same city documents put a price on keeping the course green, and the city declined to pay it. Storing extra water for golf irrigation would take more water rights, legal work and infrastructure, which the city estimated at about $1.5 million to $2 million, "for the privately owned golf course." The city also noted that several hundred ponds and water features across Broomfield ran very low this year, and that it has no plan to use municipal water just to keep them full.
For a buyer, the reservoir behind a house is now public stormwater infrastructure. It will be maintained, but whether it holds water in a given year depends on hydrology, not on views.
The zoning permits golf but doesn't require it
At Eagle Trace, the zoning puts any new development through a lengthy public process, and it also allows the land to stay closed with no deadline. The ETCDC describes the property as Planned Unit Development zoning, designated open space for use as a golf course. The group notes that 94 single-family units remain unbuilt from the original property plan. The group's September town-hall presentation spells out what that designation does and doesn't do. The current zoning permits a golf course but doesn't require the owner to run one, and in the deck's words, "the property may remain closed indefinitely." The owner must still keep it from becoming a nuisance.
Any change of use would go through a public process with these steps, according to that deck:
- Pre-application meeting with city staff
- Formal submittal with a site plan
- Fiscal impact review
- Public notification
- Public hearings
As of that September presentation, the city's position was that there was no active application to rezone the property. Ideas floated so far include residential development, a hybrid 9- or 12-hole course, open space, parks and botanical gardens. The deck also lists neighborhood parcels, community gardens and yard extensions among the examples discussed. None has been adopted.
Until someone files a land-use application, the most likely near-term picture is privately owned, unirrigated land with an owner responsible for controlling overgrowth and securing the site. The deck states that closure "does not transfer maintenance responsibility to the County," and that the city's role is enforcing code when compliance issues come up.
Who could take over the land, and what each option costs
The land is still privately owned and not actively listed for sale. The owner reached out to the city about a possible acquisition, and the city pointed the owner back to the ETCDC as the more workable option. The owner has also discussed a charitable contribution. The course is flanked by hundreds of homes, and homes in five different homeowners associations sit nearby, according to Bruce Erley, president of the Eagle Trace Homeowners Association, who told the Broomfield Enterprise that he and other HOA leaders formed the nonprofit.
City staff priced five scenarios in a summer meeting with the neighborhood task force, and Colorado AvidGolfer reported the numbers:
| Scenario | Estimated cost | Staff view |
|---|---|---|
| City buys and runs it as golf | $15M to $27M upfront, plus $1.1M a year to operate | Not recommended |
| Another entity buys and runs golf | $15M to $27M | Same cost burden for a new buyer |
| City acquires land, converts to open space and trails | $6M to $12M over several years | The only option staff considered "even somewhat feasible" |
| City acquires land, open space with dry reservoirs | $9.5M to $15.5M | Not favored |
| Owner keeps it or sells to a developer | Any proposed development requires a zoning change | Land is zoned golf course and part of the city's open space plan |
That feasibility judgment is a staff read, not a decision. Any city ownership, condemnation or investment would take a policy decision by City Council, and as of the September town hall, "no such decision has been made."
The ETCDC's own path depends on groundwater. Its consultants evaluated wells in the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer. The September deck estimated 50 to 80 gallons per minute from one well and a first-well cost of about $800,000. It listed permits, final design, a drilling contract and committed capital as steps still ahead. On top of that, the group has estimated $3 million to $5 million in deferred maintenance to bring the course back, before any change to the layout. The deck says the owner and the ETCDC are discussing ways to transfer ownership while the group works through valuation, environmental, tax and legal questions.
What to track if a home on the course is on your list
These are the signals that would change the picture, roughly in the order they could arrive:
- November 1, 2026. The reservoir irrigation lease for golf use ends under the 2024 sale terms. After that, any water on the turf has to come from a new source.
- An ownership transfer. A donation or sale to the ETCDC would put the land with a group whose stated purpose is protecting the area's green space. The ETCDC site posts its updates and town-hall materials.
- A well permit or drilling contract. This would be the first concrete sign that golf, or irrigated open space, has a water supply again.
- A pre-application meeting or rezoning filing. This is the first formal step toward any new use, including housing, and public notice and hearings would follow.
- A Council agenda item. City acquisition for open space would need Council action. No item has been adopted yet.
- Code compliance. In the meantime, maintenance of the private parcel rests with its owner, and the city enforces code if problems are reported.
If you're comparing this area with other parts of Broomfield, it's worth asking how each candidate home's yard, HOA and reservoir frontage relate to the course parcel. That ties in with the parcel-level questions in our post on why Broomfield tax bills vary by district. Zoning, HOA documents and seller disclosures each have their own rules. Please treat this post as general information, not legal or financial advice, and confirm the specifics with the right professional for your situation.
Quick answers
Is Eagle Trace being turned into housing? As of the ETCDC's September town hall, there was no active rezoning application. Any residential use would need a PUD amendment, public notice and hearings.
Did Broomfield buy the golf course? No. The city acquired the Nissen reservoir interest in July 2026 for stormwater purposes. The course land itself is still privately owned.
Will the reservoirs stay full? The city has said it does not intend to fill or maintain water in them solely for looks. How much water they hold will depend on conditions each year.
If you're weighing a home near Eagle Trace, or you own one and want to understand how the course closing affects your plans, I'm glad to go through the documents with you and track the next filings as they come. Melissa Worth can also give you a current home valuation based on what has actually been decided so far. Let's Connect.
