News: Kicked To The Curb
‘About As Subtle As A Heart Attack’: City Boots SOS Denver From Park Hill Golf Course Visioning Group
Following a citywide vote of support for the Park Hill Golf Course land remaining open space, city officials purged the group Save Open Space Denver from a “visioning” committee that has been meeting to map out the future of the 155-acre property.
Specifically, in a Jan. 13 letter, the city rejected the group’s request that Lisa Calderón fill the vacancy left by the departure of SOS Denver’s prior representative on the 27-member committee. Calderón unsuccessfully challenged Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock in his reelection bid three years ago.
The decision also follows at least one closed-door meeting that occurred shortly after the Nov. 3 election, in which voters approved Initiative 301, designed to protect the golf course land from development.
The meeting involved the developer, his lobbyist, lawyers and several top level Denver officials. City email correspondence, obtained by SOS Denver via an open records request , indicates that the lobbyist — CRL Associates Partner Kim Kucera — requested the sit-down with the city’s director of parks, director of planning and city attorneys on behalf of Westside project manager Kenneth Ho.
The subsequent January letter rejecting Calderón’s appointment was signed by Denver’s director of planning, Laura Aldrete, and parks director Happy Haynes.
“Given Save Open Space’s stated disagreement with the prevailing vision and the visioning process to this point, we believe that further participation by Save Open Space as part of the committee would only result in further discord within the community and would not be a valuable use of the committee’s or your organization’s time,” Aldrete and Haynes wrote.
The city has previously claimed that all options for the land would be considered — including keeping it open space. Rejecting her from serving on the committee, Calderón told the news site Denverite, was “about as subtle as a heart attack.”
In a press release, SOS Denver member Maria Flora described the decision as “egregious and repugnant,” and “yet another example of developer-driven planning at City Hall.”
Last November voters endorsed SOS Denver’s Initiative 301 by a 2-1 margin. By the same margin, voters also overwhelmingly defeated Initiative 302, which was Westside’s effort to nullify 301.
In addition to the election results, other indicators show the public’s desire to keep the property undeveloped.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which is appointed by the mayor and city council, unanimously adopted a resolution in 2020 that the city should purchase the 155-acre parcel for a regional park.
A poll, conducted in November 2019 by GPHC, Inc., found three-fourths of Park Hill residents support keeping the land entirely open space.
Tracey MacDermott, a board member of Greater Park Hill Community, said she is particularly dismayed by Haynes’ embrace of development. Denver, she noted, is behind the national average for park space.
“Isn’t Happy Haynes the director of Parks and Recreation?” MacDermott asked. “How is it that she could not be advocating for more park space? Isn’t that her job?”
Before she was appointed the parks director, Haynes worked for CRL, the lobbying firm that is now working for Westside to develop the golf course land. Haynes is also a past member of the Denver City Council and the Denver Public Schools Board of Education.
— Cara DeGette