After a couple months of delays, Denver City Council will finally consider turning the Park Hill Golf Course into an actual park — a plan Mayor Mike Johnston announced earlier this year.
For that to happen, the council needs to approve a land swap agreement with Westside Investment Partners, the company that currently owns the land.
If the swap is approved, the developer will give the defunct golf course along Colorado Boulevard to the city. In exchange, the company would get city-owned land near Denver International Airport,
The land swap will be considered by the Finance and Governance Committee on Monday.
The Land Use, Transportation, and Infrastructure Committee will also consider rezoning the 155-acre golf course land from private open space to public open space.
District 8 Councilmember Shontel Lewis, who represents Northeast Park Hill, will sponsor the rezoning along with Council President Amanda Sandoval.
The rezoning would allow the land to be operated by Denver Parks and Recreation and allow a variety of recreation on the site.
The city expects the park to be opened for limited use this summer. A more permanent park will be built, after a visioning process with the community, over the next few years.
“We must be intentional about how we develop this space and ensure that this park, while a beacon of progress, does not contribute to the displacement of those who have called this place home for generations,” said Councilmember Shontel M. Lewis in a statement. “The transformation of this land should lift up existing residents, not push them out.”
You can weigh in on the future of the Park Hill Park online.
