Though united in opposition, two Denver City Council members Monday night were set against publishing the Park Hill Golf Course small area plan for differing reasons. District 9 Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca and District 6 Councilman Paul Kashmann voted against the bill, which appeared before council for the first time.

The proposed redevelopment of the Park Hill Golf Course has been a contentious issue since Westside Investment Partners Inc. submitted an initial plan in July. Since then, plans have evolved to include 55 acres of mixed use development and almost 100 acres of park space.

CdeBaca called the bill out for a vote before Monday’s meeting.

Park Hill Golf Course small area plan approved by Denver planning board

Normally a bill has to appear before council twice before it can be approved. On weekly agendas, bills appear “for introduction” (first reading) or “final consideration” (second reading) before adoption or rejection. Some bills also require public hearings.

CdeBaca cited concerns of public involvement, alleging the process was not community driven. Kashmann on the other hand felt the city should buy the land and lead redevelopment.

“We could make better use of it for what the community needs on a smaller plot of land,” Kashmann said. “We need housing and we need open space. If we took ownership of that land, we could do a better job with it.”

Denver was in negotiations to purchase the golf course, but talks broke down and the land was sold to Westside in 2019, according to Colorado Politics.

The golf course lies in Denver’s District 8 and Councilman Chris Herndon unequivocally supported the plan adoption.

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“I’ve been a part of this since the very beginning and I support this moving forward,” Herndon said. “Thank you to all those that did participate, I do believe this is authentic. Just because one may not like the outcome doesn’t mean the process is broken.”

In addition to a second reading, a public hearing on the bill is required, scheduled for Dec. 5.

Should council approve the bill, there is still an Ordinance 301 hurdle it has to clear. Ordinance 301 requires citywide voter approval before commercial or residential development can proceed. There are also restrictions in the land easement which must be adjusted before redevelopment can occur.

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Council’s meeting wasn’t wholly dominated by a small area plan however. The body served as the board of directors for four different general improvement districts (GID). A GID is mostly used to “build public infrastructure on raw land intended for commercial or residential development,” according to city documents.

In this role, they approved the 2023 work plans and budgets for the 14th Street, Gateway Village, River North and Sun Valley districts. The votes were mostly unanimous, but CdeBaca was the only one to oppose the Sun Valley GID work plan and budget.