The city will host an open house next week to let locals weigh in on a new park coming to the Baker neighborhood.
Vanderbilt East Park will sit near the old Gates Rubber Factory at I-25 and Broadway, across the river from the very similarly named Vanderbilt Park along South Platte River Drive.
Denver's top park planner, Mark Tabor, said the Dec. 11 meeting will include info boards and conceptual images. People will have a chance to give suggestions for the park, which is part of a large development project known as Broadway Station. Representatives from the master developers, Broadway Station Partners, will also be there.
The park will be close to 4 acres and will include a pedestrian and bike bridge across the river connecting it to the existing Vanderbilt Park. The developer will provide a public plaza and other public space near the park.
Vanderbilt will include active courts and open fields. It will have some climbable features, though he said he doesn't anticipate it will have a full playground. It will include features accessible for disabled children and kids with special needs. Developers are also hoping to add a dog park to existing Vanderbilt Park, which will be called Vanderbilt West Park once its eastern counterpart is complete, as part of additional upgrades down the road.
Tabor said they're encouraging developers to incorporated historic references to surrounding neighborhoods into the park, including the former rubber factory. He estimates the park is at least a year out from construction. The park will be built by the developer, following the city's specifications.
The open house takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 710 S. Pennsylvania St. (Lincoln Elementary School).
