Debate over 3-day music festival at historic Denver golf course

DENVER -- A historic golf course could be home to a three-day outdoor music festival, but the plans are bringing out heated opinions on both sides.

Denver's Overland Golf Course is being looked at for the proposed site, but the plans are far from final. Residents met in the clubhouse Tuesday afternoon to get a closer look at the preliminary drawings and ask questions.

The top concerns continue to be a lack of parking and potential damage to the 100+-year-old course. Anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 people per day are expected to attend.

"I would be totally open to a music festival, but I just feel like putting it on a golf course is really wrong," said Krista Rundiks.

There would be anywhere from four to six stages set up on the golf course, with plans for the main stage to tentatively be located near the clubhouse. Drawings also include designated areas for a bike valet service and Uber lot.

Organizers AEG and Superfly will be required to provide a transportation and parking plan. It would emphasize the use of public transit shuttles, bike sharing and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.

Neighbors would also have access to a 24-hour hotline where they could call in concerns about parking or other impacts.

“Already they’ve already started to address the concerns that we’ve brought to their attention and they have a plan," said Terry Pasqua, a resident who lives right across the street from the golf course.

Even though the music would only last three days, the golf course would remain closed for anywhere from four to six weeks for setup and turf repair.

The festival would not begin until September 2018. If Denver proceeds with the festival, city officials would likely ink a five-year contact. A decision is expected to be reached by the end of the month. City council would also have to sign off on the deal.

"You know there are potential impacts that have to be looked at and mitigated, and there are potential benefits that have to be weighed," said Jolon Clark, a Denver City Council Member.