Scoop: Advocates seek new roadblock to golf course development

Residents seeking to stop development of the Park Hill Golf Course site have found a new recourse.

Driving the news: Advocacy group Save Open Space is gathering signatures for a protest petition that would require a supermajority on Denver City Council to approve a rezoning application for the Park Hill Golf Course, Axios Denver has learned.

Details: Deploying the rule is uncommon and would increase the threshold to approve the rezoning from a simple majority of seven to 10 yes votes from the 13-member city council.

Catch up quick: While the city is working with the property owner, Westside Investment Partners, to redevelop the 155-acre site with housing, open space and commercial shops, its future has pitted residents who want to keep the area as an open space against those seeking redevelopment.

Yes, but: Before ground can break, a conservation easement on the property must be lifted, and the land must be rezoned to allow for the proposed development.

• Denver City Council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning at its Jan. 23 meeting.

Zoom in: Penfield Tate III of Save Open Space tells Axios Denver the group has started gathering signatures for the protest petition.

• To be successful, the group will need signatures from owners of at least 20% of the land area within 200 feet of the property proposed for rezoning, city planning office spokesperson Laura Swartz told Axios Denver.

What they're saying: "We are pushing hard and we'll see what happens," Tate tells Axios Denver.

• The group has until noon on Jan. 17 to turn in signatures, which will then need to be verified by the city's planning office ahead of the Jan. 23 meeting.