Park Hill golf course land swap plan to create new park passes through Denver council committees

Park Hill Golf Program is on its way to becoming a community park this summer after two Denver City Council committees forwarded plans for a land-swap deal and zoning changes to the full council on Tuesday Under the swap agreement Denver would deal a -acre city-owned property near Denver International Airport to Westside Funding Partners in exchange for the acres of open space in North Park Hill that Westside owns The committee votes set the council s gears in motion more than three months after city leaders first unveiled the plan This was a very complicated deal to get done revealed Jolon Clark the executive director of the city s Department of Parks and Recreation The committees approved the commerce deal and a necessary rezoning of the land but the full council still demands to consider both before the new park could open Those votes are set to happen in May and June Park Hill Golf Class is valued at million and the open space by the airport located in Adams County off East th Avenue is valued at million according to city documents Mayor Mike Johnston declared the deal in January This is the first time it has been formally considered by council members since then Voters in rejected a plan to turn the land into a major mixed-use maturation that potentially would have included thousands of units of housing and acreage for open space It has been closed since then Related Articles Colorado and Denver informed owners to cut their buildings carbon emissions Did the rules go too far Denver soccer stadium deal moves to full council after owners mayor s office appear to assuage concerns An investor paid for a Denver family s foreclosed home Now a judge has ordered him to give it up Hotel residential buildings and concert venue planned around Ball Arena in Denver Denver releases new details for million equestrian complex plan at National Western Center As part of the deal a conservation easement on the property that requires it to be used as a golf curriculum will dissolve city executives say Parks and Recreation is asking for input from the residents on what to do with the space A city survey is available online until May In the city will begin designing and constructing amenities for the park In the meantime administrators plan to clean the area up and build low-cost amenities including picnic tables and a practicable dog park or disc golf discipline for immediate use The council s Finance and Governance Committee preliminarily approved the property exchange on Tuesday Its Land Use Transportation and Infrastructure Committee forwarded a zoning change that would allow the land to be used as a constituents park Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot