Park Hill Golf Course Needs to Include High Density Residential

City Council is considering a proposal to purchase the Park Hill Golf Course from the Clayton Trust and neighbors are already gearing up to oppose any changes to that property. Opposition to any development here is misguided. Because of the proximity to transit, it is critical that the City is able to strike an appropriate balance between housing and green space on the Park Hill Golf Course Property.

Opponents fear that developers are salivating at the opportunity to turn the Park Hill Golf Course into mixed-use housing. They probably are. And we need to welcome them. Denver will be home to 300,000 new residents by 2040. This means that all neighborhoods have to absorb some of those people. The golf course features proximity to both the 40th and Colorado rail station and a high frequency bus route along Colorado Blvd. It’s hard to think of a place where housing could be added in a more sustainable way. Indeed, an important and good priority of the new Denver Housing Plan is locating new housing near transit.

If we keep shutting doors to development in Denver where mobility options are realistic, new residents will have to sprawl out to the suburbs where their only mobility option will be their personal vehicle which they will then drive (through our neighborhoods) to their jobs in the city.

Opponents of development on this site have also expressed concern about how development might contribute to the gentrification of the neighborhood. While many people associate new housing with gentrification, lack of new housing might actually be more to blame. When affluent people can’t find housing in traditionally affluent neighborhoods, they use their resources to find it in less traditionally affluent ones, displacing longtime residents in the process. If Park Hill and surrounding neighborhoods shut the door to housing opportunities where housing makes sense and transit is available, we will be contributing to the gentrification of other neighborhoods without even leaving our own.

Welcoming communities should be fighting FOR mixed-use, transit-adjacent, multi-family housing and insisting that affordability is part of any transaction the city enters into related to the Park Hill Golf Course. Instead of saying no to all development, let’s talk about the role greenspace plays in the creation of complete neighborhoods. Public greenspace matters. Denver needs housing. We should fight for both.

-Andy Sense, Park Hill

Our Golf Course Should Stay Green

It seems Denver can’t get enough of new development. Thanks to a continued short-sightedness and lack of leadership, we are becoming another concrete jungle. We are in the throes of rampaging development.

Now our golf course is on the block, slated probably for development. I moved to Park Hill in the mid 90’s from Cherry Creek and the lone voice and efforts of Walt Kimble echo in my mind as he advocated for less development, less density—alas, to no avail. All the people of Park Hill need to do is take a look at some of the other neighborhoods to see how this pans out—especially for the elderly and the less wealthy … while the dumpsters, the dozers, and the parking all conspire to make life miserable for those of us who wanted a relatively inexpensive, nice, peaceful neighborhood ….You may have noticed the increasing number of “for sale” signs along Montview. Although some readers would call this “white flight” really, it’s your tax base getting out while the getting’s good––often out of Colorado. Remember, the privilege of wealth is mobility.

There is still time for people to take action, to maintain our sense of community which really is one of the things I have come to love about living here in Park Hill––not to mention my beautiful old home, a Craftsman Bungalow. Despite all the offers to “buy my home for cash” from the fast bucksters, I will do my best to stick it out until my dying days.

Another thing that will maintain the integrity of our neighborhood––Let’s Preserve our Mature Trees! We can only sustain life on this planet, because trees (and plants) do this day in and day out more efficiently than ANYTHING human engineering or technology can compare with … so let’s not take them for granted! So yes, let’s petition our city council people and our beloved, tree loving Director of Parks and Recreation to PRESERVE what open spaces we have left with their mature trees, as the tree canopy in Denver is under enough pressure from cars, smokers, insects, and developers.

Let’s not take our trees or green spaces for granted … As for me, I planted 45 trees on my own property. I recommend we all do the same. Really this is one of the simplest things we can do for future generations!

-Just sayin, Therese-Marie O’Sullivan