Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has revealed a plan to acquire the defunct Park Hill Golf Course and transform it into a public park, marking a significant milestone in the community's long-standing quest to reclaim the space. The mayor announced a land swap agreement with developers, Westside Investment Partners, in exchange for 145 acres of city-owned land near Denver International Airport.
Once local government boards approve the deal, Johnston plans to turn the land into a public park that is expected to open to the public this summer, the mayor said. The Park Hill Golf Course has inspired turf wars, but it looks like Mayor Mike Johnston is poised to announce a new future on January 15. What’s real matters. We’re committed to providing you with the truth.
If you value journalism like ours that strengthens democracy and holds our leaders accountable, please make a contribution today. Westside Investment Partners, by giving the firm 145 acres of land that the city owns near Denver International Airport in Adams County in exchange for the golf course located at the corner of West 35th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Northeast Park Hill. The land hasn't been used as a golf course since 2018, when the previous owners, Clayton Early Learning, shut it down because of high costs and low revenues. In a press release, the city promised 'a modern, urban park,' but first it will create an open-space area equipped with a dog park, picnic tables, walking trails and a disc golf course. The city will first fix the golf course's 'immediate issues, such as broken walkways and overgrown trees and brush,' according to the press release. 'Fencing will remain, though entrance ways will be created.' Although the new open-space features in Park Hill are expected to be open by this summer, other park amenities are expected to take more time, according to the mayor's office. The new park will be the largest addition of private land to the city's park system in more than 100 years, Johnston said on Wednesday. It will be the city’s fourth-largest park, behind City Park, Sloan’s Lake and (by ten acres) Washington Park, according to the press release. Denver Parks & Recreation will oversee the land and park transition, while the mayor's office will collect public input ahead of its opening to find out what features residents will want in the park, Johnston said. 'We are very excited about the process for our community to be able to have input and say about how we turn this space into use for a public park,' the mayor added. 'It is because of community members who raised their voice over and over to say 'We want this space to be open to all of us, here for all of us and home to all of us' that we are here today.' Westside hasn't been able to do much with the 155-acre golf course since purchasing it in 2019. The company has been stymied by an agreement between Clayton and former mayor Wellington Webb that came in 1997. On Wednesday, Webb said, 'When we put the easement on, I never knew how much controversy it would have later in life.' The conservation easement would frustrate Westside and keep it from developing the land, but Webb said the city needed the agreement to preserve the land. 'This is the last 155 acres of space that we have here in Denver,' Webb said. 'It has to be maintained, and it has to be under city control.' Webb applauded 'the landmark legislation that Mayor Johnston has achieved in getting this land back. He followed through on his word, which is very important, and now it's up to city council.' Denver Mayor Mike Johnston agreed to a land swap to acquire the defunct, 155-acre Park Hill Golf Course from developers, with plans to turn the land into a public park
PARK HILL DENVER PUBLIC PARK LAND SWAP MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON WESTSIDE INVESTMENT PARTNERS CONSERVATION EASEMENT WELLINGTON WEBB
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