Westside's Latest Park Hill Golf Course Plans Call For 100-Acre Park
Westside Investment Partners’ latest redevelopment plans for the former Park Hill Golf Course propose to maintain nearly two-thirds of the 155-acre site as a park, with commercial development planned for the parcel's west side.
Westside last week submitted the plans to the city of Denver’s planning department and said the new park could become Denver’s fourth-largest if the plans advance as written.
Citing December survey results released by the city of Denver, Westside said that parks and open space are “considered the single most important request” by a 10-to-1 margin, according to its website.
Their proposal calls for the donation of 100 acres to include a new regional park on the eastern portion of the property, leaving land on the west side bordering Colorado Boulevard for development. Westside plans to build “hundreds of for-sale and for-rent affordable (income-restricted) housing units,” according to its application.
Additional proposed uses include market-rate housing, retail and commercial uses, including a grocery store. The plans also accommodate the 303 ArtWay Heritage Trail, a future 4-mile bike and pedestrian loop proposed by the Urban Land Conservancy that would connect the 40th & Colorado station on RTD’s A-Line to Holly Square in northeast Park Hill.
Westside purchased the property from Clayton Early Learning in July 2019 for $24M even though the property remains subject to a 1997 perpetual conservation easement that prohibits any use other than a golf course.
Holleran Group joined Westside as a co-developer in 2020 and started the lengthy planning and outreach process with the city in early 2021. The city hosted a project open house on June 30 to solicit additional community feedback on its recommendations.
The city recommendations are broken down into six areas including quality of life, housing, economy, mobility, design quality and land use.
The Denver City Council must vote to approve the final plans, advancing them to a citywide vote to lift the conservation easement in accordance with ballot initiative 301.
