Two Differing Releases About Park Hill Golf Course

Statement of Steering Committee Members for CPD Visioning

NEWS for RELEASE December 13, 2021:

City and County of Denver
Community Planning and Development
Laura Swartz
(720) 584-9137
laura.swartz@denvergov.org

Denver Parks and Recreation
Cyndi Karvaski
(303) 819-0111
cyndi.karvaski@denvergov.org

Dear Laura Aldretti, Happy Haynes, Courtney Livingston, David Gaspers, and Dr. Ryan Ross:

Below (and attached) is a statement from members of the PHGC Visioning Process Steering Committee in response to the Summary that was issued and posted on the City’s website for this process. We also attach the Summary that is referenced.
We insist that our comments be included in official City documents for this project, including posting on the City’s web page for this project. These comments must be part of the official record and documentation for this project.
Thank you for your consideration,
Drew Dutcher Rachel Coates Shanta Harrison David Martin Sandrea Robnett

STATEMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT

PARK HILL GOLF COURSE STEERING COMMITTEE

IN RESPONSE TO THE DOCUMENT TITLED:

“PARK HIILL GOLF COURSE STEERING COMMITTEE VISION SUMMARY 2021 (OCTOBER 2021)”

We are members of the Park Hill Golf Course Steering Committee (SC), and we have met consistently since February 9, 2021, for eight Steering Committee meetings, two Open House sessions, one Community Workshop, and one Working Group. We also had to prepare for these meetings and were issued Study Materials in preparation for the meetings.

Together, we have invested over 270 hours of our own time in hopes that our voices would be heard, that our opinions would be respected, and that our participation would be fairly and accurately represented in any official communications from the Community and Planning Department (CPD) of the City of Denver (the City).

Unfortunately, that is not the case with the Visioning Process overall, nor the Summary that was published by CPD on its website.

Specifically, we have the following issues with the Summary as published:

1. The composition of the 27-member SC is heavily weighted in favor of development. In fact, the “Visioning Process” of “public engagement” really amounts to a public relations campaign to push the developer’s agenda. Nevertheless, we have tried to advocate for open space as a tiny, five-member minority.

2. The City’s clear and proven bias in favor of Westside and its development plans has negatively impacted the entire process.

3. Those of us who participated in the entire process did not have an opportunity to review or comment on the final Vision Summary sent to us on November 8, after it was already posted on the CPD website.

4. Although there were two community Open House sessions, the community was not provided an opportunity to give public comment. The lack of public engagement in this process was problematic in general. CPD attempted to quiet those in the community whose visions differed from theirs and those of Westside by not allowing public comment at all during the SC meetings. But through our protest, CPD eventually allowed a mere 10 minutes after each SC meeting for public comment. The lack of public engagement seen in public — not behind closed doors in what CPD referred to as community navigator sessions — shows a lack of respect for the residents of Denver and further demonstrates a flawed visioning process full of bias and favoritism for the developer Westside.

5. The attorney-expert invited by the City of Denver to discuss conservation easements clearly explained that the fundamental purpose of a conservation easement is to perpetually preserve and protect the land’s conservation values. Unsurprisingly, CPD continued the visioning process with predominantly pro-development narratives. As well, CPD and the City of Denver did not address whether it is “impossible” per Colorado statute, due to changed conditions on or surrounding the PHGC land, to continue fulfilling the easement’s open space and recreational conservation purposes.

6. There has never been serious discussion on the SC of the value of 155 acres of open, green, park space to urban life. Its role in cleaning our air, water, and soil; restoring natural habitat; cooling the planet; offering residents access to nature and healthy respite from the stresses of modern, urban life; have never been considerations of the SC. The developer’s agenda and interests have always dominated and guided the discussions.

7. The SC has never considered the future development that will inevitably occur near the 40^th/Colorado RTD station, and its TOD possibilities; nor near 38^th/Holly; nor land surrounding PHGC. There will be a huge increase in residents around PHGC: Why has the need for open space for all these new residents not been considered?

8. We know there is affordable housing planned at 40^th/Colorado and 38^th/Holly. These planned affordable housing projects should be part of the SC discussions, but never have been.

9. There are many more severe flaws in this process and the Summary that are too numerous to detail here.

We are citizen-representatives volunteering our time to be on this SC because we care passionately about our neighborhoods and this great City. We are deeply concerned about the way this process has unfolded, and the misleading and false representations made by CPD in the Summary.

Furthermore, it is apparent that CPD is doing the bidding of the developer, Westside, and consciously ignoring, sidelining, and dividing residents surrounding PHGC, and residents of the City of Denver as a whole. This is evidenced by the recent election results for Initiatives 301 and 302, where Denver voters clearly stated their concern about developing existing open space with a conservation easement. And yet, it seems the City and Westside are doubling down to push their development plans, ignoring the lessons from November 2. Sadly, the Summary in its current form furthers their agenda.

It is our sincere hope that CPD and the City administration will respect and fairly represent our voices in this important discussion about the future of this vital area of Denver.

We insist that our comments here be included in official City documents for this project, including posting on the City’s web page for this project. These comments must be part of the official record and documentation for this project.

Thank you for your consideration,

PHGC Visioning Process Steering Committee Members:

Rachel Coats
Shanta Harrison
David Martin
Sandrea Robnett
Drew Dutcher

CPD Vision Statement

Resident-led process delivers inclusive

vision for Park Hill Golf Course

DENVER – After a year of working with residents in the neighborhoods around the Park Hill Golf Course, Denver Community Planning and Development and Denver Parks and Recreation today released a “Prevailing Vision” document that summarizes the input received from residents and outlines the next steps for planning a new future for this land.

Beginning in January 2021, residents weighed in through surveys, on comment forms, at public workshops and events, in small groups and conversations with Community Navigators, and through a Community Steering Committee that met monthly.

Residents expressed the most support for these priorities:

1. Create a new, large park and community gathering places

2. Stand up an oversight committee to guide future planning and development

3. Preserve and expand the tree canopy to combat urban heat island effects in this area

4. Add youth and recreational sports opportunities

5. Include a variety of affordable (income-restricted) housing options, including for-sale units

6. Address food insecurity by including space for grocery and fresh food choices

7. Create space for local businesses and businesses owned by people of color

8. Employ strategies to mitigate involuntary displacement

Download the Prevailing Vision document >>

Of the approximately 1,300 residents who completed a survey and live within one-mile of the property, 70 percent favored some development of the site; 22 percent preferred for the site to be green space only; 8 percent favored development-oriented uses only, without green space; and only 7 percent of respondents wanted to see the entire property remain a golf course. Results were similar across all forms of public input from area residents, as detailed in the Prevailing Vision document.

“Thanks to thoughtful and thorough engagement, particularly among the residents in the neighborhoods that will be most directly affected, we were able to arrive at several important shared priorities,” said Laura E. Aldrete, executive director of Community Planning and Development. “We look forward to continuing to engage our communities throughout 2022 to provide more detail on these priorities and ultimately bring a well-thought-out proposal for Denver City Council and Denver voters to consider.”

“Parks and open space play a vital role in celebrating and preserving the character of our city and neighborhoods,” said Happy Haynes, executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “It’s gratifying to know that Park Hill residents and participants in this process prioritized substantial parks and open space as a common vision element for this site. This community validation reinforces the importance of quality parks and open space as part of the reimagining of this site, which has been a foundation of this process since the beginning. We look forward to participating with fellow city agencies and the community in the next phase of the process to advance this vision.”

Next Steps

City planners will continue working with residents in 2022 to refine the prevailing vision into a coordinated park framework and area plan detailing park size, location, and considerations for future parks and open spaces along with more detailed land use recommendations.

Longer term, after the community-driven guidance in the area plan takes shape, Denver City Council will vote on the plan and potentially other related actions, including an update to the conservation easement and zoning requirements that implement the area plan. When there is a clear proposal for how the conservation easement should be updated, the city will also refer the matter to a public vote in accordance with ballot initiative 301.

In light of the size of this property (155 acres), the property owner must apply for and follow the city’s large development review (LDR) process, which would be a required step at this stage for any property over five acres in size or that has the potential for significant external impacts. The LDR process was established by city ordinance in 2019 to ensure large properties have clear direction at the earliest stage of project planning on how they are expected to meet priorities important to Denver’s neighborhoods, including providing infrastructure improvements, parks and open space, and quality design for the neighborhood. The city is committed to ensuring that the future of the Park Hill Golf Course meets residents’ priorities and will align the LDR process with the coordinated park and area planning work.

The Park Hill Golf Course comprises 155 acres located at Colorado Blvd. and 35^th Avenue in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood. It was operated as a private golf course from 1930 through 2018. Westside Investment Partners purchased the land from the Clayton Trust in 2019.

Resources

· Prevailing Vision document (community input summaries)

· FAQs on legal history, impact of ballot initiative 301

· Community survey results

· Community Steering Committee recommendations

· Community Navigators’ Community Voice Report

· Additional public input