DENVER — What was once considered a long shot is now looking more like an easy putt for the future of Park Hill Golf Course.
Roughly seven years after the course shut down in 2018, it could partially reopen within a few weeks after a monumental Denver City Council vote set to happen this week.
The council will consider an ordinance to finally rezone the property from a golf course to a park. This could set the stage for tearing down the chain-link fences in a matter of weeks and allowing limited use of the trails and open space.
“It’s about time,” said mother of two and Park Hill resident Margaret Fogarty, who believes the promise of something new is long overdue. “And it will need to really, carefully balance the interest of the neighbors.”
It's neighbors like Christopher Semien, who lives right across the street and certainly has his own vision.
“Denver Urban Gardens, they’re pretty big around Denver. I’d like to see a big one out there where people can go and grow their own fruits and vegetables,” Semien said. “That would be real, real nice.”
Denver
Denver will acquire former Park Hill Golf Course and turn it into a park
After years of battles at the ballot box and in the courtroom, this week's vote could herald a rebirth.
“I’m elated that we are on the cusp of opening this space to the community,” said Lisa Calderon with the Latinos United Neighbors Association.
With Walgreens' recent closure across the street, the park could spur new growth and development in adjacent neighborhoods and be a link between long-underserved communities.
“We could have a rec center, we could have trails,” said Calderon, a former mayoral candidate who grew up in Park Hill. “We know that this area really does need amenities like a pool.”
The idea of a youth-centered approach to reopening is a sentiment many share.
“Maybe a pool, soccer fields, or pickleball,” said Colette Carey with the Greater Park Hill Community Group. “Anything that’s going to serve the community.”
For Fogarty, a hockey mom, plans for Park Hill should be just as bold as the redesign of City Park Golf Course, where we met her Sunday.
“A beautiful big park and build a world-class regional youth recreation hub,” Fogarty said. “It’s something that the Denver community is really lacking, and we just have to drive to the suburbs all around us to see really great examples of how parks and rec departments have been able to do those things. It would be nice to have ice and fields. There’s not even enough basketball courts in town.”
“It really should be a regional attraction,” Calderon said.
That vote is expected to happen on Monday in Denver City Council. As for what's next, plans are still being discussed, and you can have your voice heard by taking this survey, which is open to the public.
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