Voters will decide Park Hill Golf Course's future

The Park Hill Golf Course's future use now rests in the hands of Denver voters.

• Denver City Council voted 11-2 past midnight Monday to send a measure to the April municipal election asking voters whether to lift the conservation easement on the Park Hill Golf Course.

• The council also approved a rezoning application for the property that allows for development.
• The decision came after hours of public testimony.

Why it matters: If voters decide to lift the easement, proposed development on the site — which is backed by property owner Westside Investment Partners — would move forward.

Driving the news: The golf course has been the source of contention between people who want the land to be kept as open space and those seeking to redevelop it into housing and other amenities.

• The easement currently allows the site to be used only as a golf course.

Yes, but: Some believe a court order is the only way for the easement to be lifted, while the city contends voters can lift it as the result of a ballot measure approved in 2021.

Details: The golf course, which sits on 155 acres, has been closed since 2018, and is now seen as one of the largest pieces of undeveloped land in the city.

• The property was purchased by Westside Investment Partners in 2019.

• Westside wants to build housing, provide commercial spaces, and establish what would become the city’s fourth-largest park on the plot.

Of note: Approving the rezoning application means housing and retail spaces can now be built on the property.

• The new zoning allows for mixed use buildings, including structures up to 12 stories tall in areas closer to Colorado Boulevard and 40th Avenue.

The intrigue: City Council also approved a development agreement between the city and Westside Investment Partners that outlines how the property will be built out.