1) A Land Swap Deal Will Create a New Park at Park Hill Golf Course

Surrounded by fences and controversy, the 155-acre Park Hill Golf Course site is being acquired by the City and County of Denver for a new city park in a land exchange agreement.

The park will be what Mayor Mike Johnston calls “the largest acquisition of a new park to our park system in more than 100 years.”

The agreement involves the exchange of 145 acres of undeveloped City-owned land near Denver International Airport in Adams County for the golf course property, which is owned by Westside Investment Partners. The golf course closed in 2018.

Denver Parks & Recreation will oversee the park with hopes of opening it to the public by this summer. Safety issues need to be addressed first, including fixing broken walkways and trimming back overgrown trees and brush.

Entranceways will be created to enter the area, but it will take time and community input to create a long-term plan for what this yet-unnamed park will look like.

In 1997, under then-Mayor Wellington Webb’s administration, the Denver City Council voted to pay $2 million for a “conservation easement” on the privately-owned Park Hill Golf Course land.

Denver residents in 2023 voted against a ballot initiative to lift the conservation easement that prevents the land of the former golf course from being used for any development purposes. If voters had approved the measure and lifted the easement, Westside Investment Partners would have been allowed to build a mixed-use development on the site, including housing, a park, and possibly a grocery store.

“We know that on both sides of this debate, there was agreement that we still need to make sure that this neighborhood remains affordable. We still need to make sure that this neighborhood does not continue to be a food desert without access to regular and affordable food and groceries,” Johnston said.

The Denver City Council and Adams County Board of Commissioners need to approve the deal. Work should begin as soon as the deal is finalized.

2) Developments in Northfield and NW Aurora

The developer of the proposed Shops at Northfield Apartments, Stockdale Capital, filed to rezone the land east of the shopping area from commercial to mixed use. The plan for the area includes three multi-family residential buildings along with green space. The area extends from Northfield Blvd. to 47th Ave, and Verbena St. to Willow St. Stockdale Capital purchased the shopping area in 2023. The number of units for the project has not been released but a previous story by BusinessDen stated as many as 1,000 apartments will be added.

To the south at E. 25th Ave. and Jamaica St., in NW Aurora, plans are underway for a 75-unit affordable housing development called Stanley 98. The project, proposed by the Aurora Housing Authority, includes plans for a pedestrian bridge over the 25th Ave. drainageway. The estimated total cost for the undertaking is $35 million. Construction is expected to start in July 2025 with completion in 2027. More information about the project is available at auroragov.org.

3) Affordable Housing at the Mosaic Community Campus

Archway Communities, which renovated four dormitories on the former Johnson and Wales campus, has leased more than 130 of its affordable housing units but still has approximately 20 units available. There are three tiers of affordable units at the Mosaic Community Campus: 16 units are reserved for households making 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), 19 units are reserved for households at 50 percent AMI, and 119 units are reserved for households at 60 percent AMI. Area Median Income fluctuates and is dependent on household size but as an example, 30 percent AMI for a family of four is currently $39,100.

The 20 available units are at the 60 percent AMI level so for a family of four, household income would need to be below $78,240. A three-bedroom unit at that level costs a little over $2,000 a month.

Archway’s Georgeanne Barrett says she is surprised the units haven’t been rented because she knows there is still a shortage of affordable housing in Denver. “I think it’s just getting the word out to the right people.”

Openings and Closings

OPENING

4) Panda Coffee: Open inside FlyteCo Brewing at 3120 Uinta St., Denver.

5) Coffee Origin: Open in The Shops at Northfield, 8286 Northfield Blvd. Suite #1520, Denver.

5) 3 Margaritas: Opening in spring 2025 at The Shops at Northfield.

CLOSING

5) Macy’s Northfield: Closing in The Shops at Northfield at 8298 E. Northfield Blvd. Denver.

6) Party City Quebec Square: Closing at 7735 E. 36th Ave. Denver

7) Compositive Primary School: Closing May 2025 at 2345 N. Ursula St. Aurora.

TEMPORARILY CLOSING

8) Los Chingones Central Park: Currently closed for remodeling at 10155 E. 29th Ave., Denver.

9) Schlessman Family Branch Library in Lowry: Closed for remodeling at 100 Poplar St., Denver.