That perception may have stemmed from several local groups campaigning for the bond this fall, city manager Eric Keck said. Many residents, he said, were falsely given the impression that the city could swoop in and save all of Corner Canyon.

But, Keck added, the city never took a position on the bond and never anticipated being able to buy the entire region.

"Obviously the city would love to have all 1,035 acres," he said. "But it's a goal; it was never a promise."

Resident Jeff Hodges said the city could have better achieved that goal by setting some ground rules with landowners before putting the bond on the ballot. With no appraisal before voters approved the $7 million, Hodges said, the city set itself up to get taken advantage of by property owners.

Hodges voted against the bond for just that reason. Now after the election, he fears landowners are doctoring the price of the land to sell less acreage for more money.

"I'm all for open space, but what I think we've got now is a situation where landowners want every penny of the $7 million despite the fact that it's not worth that," he said.

Hollis, however, said the landowners actually thought the appraised value of the land was too low, but were willing to accept the figure to accommodate the city.

That would be a lot more comforting, Hodges said, if the land value had been firmly set before taking the issue to voters.

"I don't think we had all of our ducks in the row prior to the election," he said. "We opened ourselves up for exactly what we have."

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com