Former Denver Mayor Wellington Web Fights PHGC Sale

Former Mayor Webb wants citizens’ help stopping Park Hill golf course development deal set to close in July

Wellington Webb weighed in on the neighborhood conflict Monday.

David Sachs Denverite June 24, 2019

Former Mayor Wellington Webb looked to galvanize Denverites and light a fire under new City Council members Monday by asking residents and elected officials to rise up against the sale of a golf course in Park Hill that’s currently destined for development.

The 155 acres of grass and tress is owned by the George W. Clayton Trust, which leases the space to the Park Hill Golf Club. The trust wants to sell to local developer Westside Investment Partners in order to raise more money for the Clayton Early Learning Center.

Westside is known for planning and developing large swaths of land locally and elsewhere in the West. The company is managing the Loretto Heights transformation in southwest Denver.

“It is my hope that the electorate, which recently ousted three incumbent council members for being too pro-development, tell our elected officials we must preserve our open space,” Webb said. “This council has an opportunity to speak for the constituents and listen to their concerns about our city’s changing landscape. It’s not too late to save this green space.”

FULL ARTICLE HERE

“No park in Denver is safe” if Park Hill Golf Club sale is allowed, former mayor says

City had tried to buy course, but operator is suing

Andy Kenney Denver Post June 24, 2019

Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb is jumping into the debate over the Park Hill Golf Club, a 155-acre slice of turf that may soon be sold to a real estate developer.

“If we allow this golf course in Park Hill to be sold and redeveloped into a concrete jungle, I believe no park in Denver is safe,” he said, lamenting the loss of the city’s front yards in a press conference at the course.

The course is owned by the nonprofit Clayton Early Learning. A sale to local developer Westside Investment Partners is scheduled for July 11, according to public records obtained by The Denver Post.

The land is at the center of a web of legal obstacles. The city government previously tried to buy the land in a $24 million deal, and golf course operator Arcis Golf also has fought for its “right of first refusal” to buy it itself.

FULL ARTICLE HERE