Developers and city council often talk about why we need to build in Denver to stop sprawl. But what is sprawl if it's not building into our open spaces? Denver is in the top 12 in the country for building the most apartments and housing in the last decade. We've quickly covered landscapes with concrete everywhere around our city, including paving over community gardens, old YMCA community pools, green spaces, and empty lots and land. If we lift the conservation easement on the Park Hill Golf Course property, Denver will sprawl right into the last of Denver metro area's open space. Our ever-growing dense city needs more parks. People who live in the surrounding neighborhoods, especially those in apartments benefit greatly from having large open spaces to enjoy – without having to commute out of the city.
This is land set aside and paid for with our tax dollars to be preserved as open space for the community. It does not need to remain a golf course under the easement, contrary to what the developers are touting – it can be a park, open space, natural areas, community gardens, trails ... the easement simply protects it from being developed into buildings.
Denver voters already voted to keep the conservation easement in place 2 to 1 in the last election. Why the Westside developers and "Yes for Parks & Homes" were allowed to get it back on the ballot again, this time with deceptive language, is reprehensible. They are trying to trick the people by saying that it has to be a defunct golf course if we don't lift the easement, but this is not true, it can be open space. The conservation easement is really all about protecting OPEN SPACE from buildings.
Once we allow developers to sprawl into this open space, it will be gone forever.
Stop the sprawl, vote no on 2O.
Read more about why other Denver residents are planning to Vote No on 2O »
Developers are bombing our neighborhoods with giant deceptive mailers (seven and counting at our house.) This is about making money by sprawling into some of the last of Denver's last open space. This is not about building affordable housing, parks or preserving trees (heck, how many trees had to be used to send out all of these excessive flyers to voters?! One would have been sufficient.) Vote NO ON 2O.