In attendance: Katie Fisher, Steve Fisher, Maggie Price, Cindy Johnstone, Ronnie Crawford, Maria Flora, Helene Orr, Woody Garnsey, Jay Rust, Harry Doby, Greg Sorenson, Jane Potts

Topic: The sale of the Park Hill Course and the conservation easement

Park Hill is one area in the city but it represents the issue about more green space and how important it is for our city.

The website for this is sosdenver.net and contains a great deal of data regarding this tract of land. There is a petition on the web site asking that City Council keep the conservation easement. The petition can only be taken from one device. Maria has created a printable petition that can be down loaded and circulated

Woody started with an overview

It started with a public meeting in 2016 with Clayton Early Learning who planned to sell the land. Gradually the attendees learned of a contract between the City and Clayton. Clayton did not want to discus that they had permanently sold their development rights to the City 22 years before.

Woody”s wife was on a citizens committee formed by Clayton and CRL. A push survey was created by a company known as Turn Corp, who since has bee hired by Westside Development.  Turn works primarily for developers to “turn” the conversation

Originally the SOSDenver  thought that there would be a 3 way split between the City, Arcis and Clayton due to the filed lawsuits from Arcis. Acording to Charlotte Brantley, Westside paid in cash.

Woody went down to the courthouse to see the documents after the sale. According to the terms of the agency agreement between the City and Clayton conservation easement had to be refiled and is still in effect. He viewed the re-filed conservation easement and the warrenty deed that listed Bushwood LLC as the purchaser.  Bushwood is an affiliate of Westside development and also the name of a golf course in Caddy Shack II. Part of the deal during the purchase of PHGC is that the Arcis lease of course was bought out and law suits were dropped.

A discussion followed and vote passed to approve the resolution to preserve the conservation agreement. It will be sent to Council and the Mayor. The resolution will be taken to full delegate meeting Aug 10 2019

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PRESERVING THE PARK HIILL GOLF COURSE PERPETUAL OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION EASEMENT

WHEREAS, on November 4, 1997 under the administration of Mayor Wellington Webb, the City and County of Denver (“Denver”) purchased a perpetual open space conservation easement covering the Park Hill Golf Course land from the George W. Clayton Trust (“Clayton”) in exchange for $2 million paid to Clayton;

WHEREAS, in granting the perpetual open space conservation easement, Clayton in perpetuity relinquished its right to develop the Park Hill Golf Course land in exchange for the $2 million payment;

WHEREAS, on July 11, 2019 Clayton sold the Park Hill Golf Course land to Bushwood LLC, an associated company of Westside Investment Partners, a real estate developer;

WHEREAS, the perpetual open space conservation easement prevents development on the Park Hill Golf Course land unless Denver City Council might both modify or remove the perpetual open space conservation easement and rezone the land from its current OS-B (Open Space-Recreation) zoning;

WHEREAS, for many reasons, preservation of this 155-acre parcel of open space is critical to the health and well being of Denver citizens in this increasingly densifying city;

NOW THEREFORE, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation respectfully urges the members of the Denver City Council to reject any attempts to materially modify or remove the perpetual open space conservation easement and to rezone the Park Hill Golf Course land from its open space zoning.

Approved by Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation this __ day of July, 2019

Meeting adjourned 7:00 pm