Open space battle intensifies with opponents urging city to buy back land
Denver leaders this week are launching a planning process for the 155-acre former Park Hill Golf Club site that has been protected as golf-related open space under a legal restriction that blocks development.
City officials on Monday told The Denver Post their “visioning” process is necessary to explore how this conservation easement could be changed.
But a coalition of residents ramped up their opposition, saying city officials are wasting time and money planning for development that cannot be done.
At a forum Monday, opponents urged city leaders to use $5 million in open space tax funds to buy back the land developer Westside Investment Partners purchased for $24 million in 2019. They said this is a last relatively inexpensive chance to preserve open space near the city center, casting it as a battle for justice and the soul of the city.