In addition to electing a new Mayor and several new City Council members this April, Denver voters will be deciding whether to lift the conservation easement currently on the now-defunct Park Hill Golf Course. Lifting the easement will allow redevelopment of this 155-acre parcel of privately-owned land into 55 acres of residential and commercial uses, along with 100 acres of parks and open space. Redevelopment of property at this scale happens relatively rarely, and raises a lot of questions about how the development might support, or detract from, our community’s goals for sustainability, inclusivity, and livability.
The development proposal, and the process that has led up to it, has deeply divided our community, with both sides arguing passionately for or against the ballot measure. At the same time, many of the same values have been expressed by people on both sides, and both sides have meaningfully influenced the development plans that are currently on the table. The Denver Streets Partnership also shares many of these stated values, and appreciates the robust public dialogue that has pushed the developer, Westside Investment Partners, to modify their plans and strengthen their commitment to incorporating elements that respond to community needs and desires.
The DSP believes that as a result of this debate and the evolution of the plans, which we recognize has been imperfect and painful to many involved, the development proposal in its current form will in fact result in real and substantial benefits to the immediately surrounding community as well as the city at large. We therefore encourage Denverites to vote yes on lifting the conservation easement. Regardless of how the vote turns out, the DSP is committed to continuing to work with partners on both sides of the issue to pursue solutions in Park Hill and citywide that support our shared community values.
What most, if not all of us, can agree on
As the Community Benefits Agreement between the developer and a coalition of community partners states, “the impacts of systemic oppression and racism are alive and continually reverberating throughout the communities adjacent to the former Park Hill Golf Course.” After a long history of redlining and disinvestment, these communities have a clear need for affordable housing, economic opportunities, and urban amenities including both neighborhood serving retail, namely a grocery store, and accessible parks and open space. The debate is not which of these needs is most important, but rather what is the best role of the former Park Hill Golf Course in helping meet those needs. Should the entire property be dedicated as a regional park, and more attention focused on other opportunities in the area for affordable housing and economic development? If non-park uses are allowed, how much of the housing and commercial development should be income-restricted, and what income levels should be targeted?
The impact of community organizing
Both the Community Benefits Agreement, which sets a new, historic precedent for coordination between developers and affected communities in the Denver region, and the Development Agreement between the City and the developer, aim to ensure the redevelopment will address multiple community needs. A few examples of how community organizing from both supporters and opponents have influenced the contents of these legally-binding agreements include the following:
Parks and Open Space:
- The developer commits to designating 100 acres for parks and open space, an increase from 60 acres in earlier development proposals. If the ballot measure passes, the landowner must immediately transfer 80 acres to the City. Subsequent land transfers (14.5 acres) to the City and public access easements over private property (5.5 acres) will expand park and open space land to a minimum of 100 acres, creating the fourth largest park in Denver after City Park, Sloan’s Lake Park, and Washington Park.
- The developer must provide $20 million for planning, design, construction and maintenance of the regional park. This includes funding for design and construction of the 303 ArtWay Heritage Trail, a community-driven plan for a bicycle and pedestrian pathway linking Holly Square, at 34th Avenue and Holly Street, to the 40th and Colorado A Line station.
Affordable Housing
- A minimum of 25% of all housing developed on-site must be income restricted for a minimum of 99 years. Affordable housing on-site will serve a variety of price points and residents, including for-sale, family-sized rental units, senior rental units, permanently supportive housing, and income restricted units integrated into the market rate buildings. These affordability requirements are double what’s currently required by Denver law.
- The developer will establish a Property Tax Anti-Displacement Fund—a first for Denver—to support low-income homeowners facing increasing property taxes within a half mile of the Park Hill Golf Course. Funds to support this work will match the overall need and are not limited by the developer. This fund will exist for at least 8 years.
Economic Development
- The greater of 12,000 square feet or 10% of the commercial square footage will be dedicated as below-market commercial space to support economic opportunities for BIPOC-, local-, and/or women-owned businesses.
- The developer will donate a portion of the land for a full-service grocery store. This parcel will be reserved for a period of 10 years and paired with incentives for the grocer who locates on-site. The community will have input in selection of the full-service grocery store.
Both the Community Benefits Agreement and the Development Agreement “run with the land,” meaning that it legally binds future owners and users of the property, should Westside decide to sell. If the developer does not comply with the terms of the Development Agreement, the City can deny approval of more detailed site development plans and/or deny issuance of permits or certificates of occupancy.
Citywide benefits
Realization of the commitments in these agreements will benefit not only the communities immediately surrounding the Park Hill Golf Course, but also the city at large. The new park will serve as a regional destination and provide environmental benefits including mitigation of urban heat island effects and stormwater management. New compact, mixed-use, mixed-income development located along two major transit routes—the A Line and planned bus rapid transit on Colorado Boulevard—will increase the number of people who can access and benefit from these investments in multimodal infrastructure, help reduce Denver’s unsustainable dependence on cars, contribute to the City’s mode shift goals, and help prevent more sprawling development on the fringes of the region.
Uncertain path forward if the ballot measure fails
Over the years, the privately-owned land now known as the Park Hill Golf Course has been used as an orphanage and a dairy farm, as well as a private golf course. The land has been protected as an 18-hole, regulation-length, fee-based golf course by a conservation easement Denver voters approved in the 1990’s, and has sat empty since 2018, when it quit functioning as a golf course. In 2019, Westside purchased the land and the conservation easement for $24 million. In 2021, voters approved a ballot measure that called for a citywide vote in order to lift conservation easement. If voters decide to keep the easement in place, the land will not be developed. Westside could operate it as a golf course or sell it to someone else, including the City, but at the moment there is not a clearly laid-out path for the golf course to become a park.
Given the choice between this uncertain path and a development proposal that will offer clear community benefits with strong accountability mechanisms, the Denver Streets Partnership believes lifting the conservation easement is the right thing to do. We respect our partners who have a diversity of opinions on the issue, and believe that we all share the desire to better our community. Even if we disagree on some things, we can and should continue to work together to grapple with difficult trade-offs and imperfect options, and seek out solutions that will improve the lives of all Denverites.
Useful Resources:
- Community Benefits Agreement Executive Summary
- Development Agreement Summary
- December 13, 2022, Westword article: What Will Denver Get From the Park Hill Golf Course Developer Agreement?
- January 24, 2023, Denverite article: Park Hill Golf Course’s fate will be decided by the voters