This April, voters in the city of Denver will have the opportunity to help address both challenges by voting on the proposed redevelopment plan for Park Hill Golf Course.
With a yes vote on ballot measure 2O (the number two, the letter O), the 155-acre former golf course property will be turned into a 100+ acres of parks and open space, as well as a 50-acre, mixed-use, mixed-income community that includes market-rate and affordable homes, and much-needed grocery and retail outlets.
Creating urgently-needed housing doesn’t come at the expense of our green spaces — we can have both.
Below, we’re sharing a bit of background about this project, how the redevelopment plan meets two of our city’s most urgent needs, and why Habitat Metro Denver is supporting the plan.
The redevelopment plan at Park Hill Golf Course presents an opportunity to create much-needed affordable homes and open space.
With a yes vote on ballot measure 2O, 55 acres of the property will be turned into more than 2,500 new homes — 25% of which will be affordable. These permanently affordable units include rental and homeownership options, which will create hundreds of homes that are accessible for teachers, nurses, seniors, families, and other essential workers.
A yes vote on ballot measure 2O also means that 100 acres of the 155-acre property will be turned into brand-new public parks and open space. The proposed development will also add 1,000+ new trees to the site, more than doubling the existing tree canopy.
This redevelopment plan has been shaped nearly two years of community input and discussion, ensuring the plan aligns with the desires of the residents of Park Hill and the city of Denver.
Habitat’s mission and vision are centered on housing equity and increasing the supply of safe, affordable homeownership in Denver. Ballot measure 2O is an opportunity to create hundreds of affordable homes for Denver families. The proposed development plan at Park Hill Golf Course also promotes housing diversity by creating low- and moderate-income home opportunities alongside market-rate housing.
Trusted nonprofit organizations –including Habitat Metro Denver – will help the developer deliver on this commitment to new affordable housing. If the plan is approved, 7.8 acres of the property will be developed by Habitat Metro Denver and Elevations Community Land Trust into affordable, for-sale homes.
As a home builder in Colorado for more than 40 years, Habitat knows that stable and affordable housing impacts kids and families for generations —improving financial stability, health, and quality of life. Habitat is eager to build more affordable homes in Denver due to serve teachers, first responders, restaurant workers, nurses, and other essential workers.
Affordable homeownership – like what is included in ballot measure 2O – is foundational and critical to creating thriving communities.
The former Park Hill Golf Course is a 155-acre plot of privately-owned land in Northeast Denver that closed in 2018. Westside Investment Partners purchased the property in 2019, and a collaborative partnership of African American real estate developers joined Westside as a co-developer in 2020. In 2021, Denver voters passed Ballot initiative 301, which stated that any release of easement (like the one at Park Hill Golf Course) must be approved by both City Council and a majority of Denver voters. At this point, the City began developing a proposed plan for the Park Hill Golf Course property in partnership with Westside, to prepare a plan that Denver voters could review and decide on.
This redevelopment plan has been shaped by 18 months of community input and discussion, ensuring the plan aligns with the desires of the residents of Park Hill and the city of Denver.
Because the conservation easement on the land restricts the use of the land to a golf course, Denver residents must vote on April 4 to lift the easement in order for the Park Hill Golf Course property to be developed.
Here’s what you’ll see on your ballot
Denver voters will see the following language on their ballot in April: “Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver authorize the release of the City-owned conservation easement on privately owned property known as the Park Hill Golf Course, which requires the land to be used primarily for golf-related purposes, and allow for commercial and residential development, including affordable housing, and public regional park, trail and open space?”
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