On Tuesday, 60% of Denver’s voters voted against redeveloping the Park Hill Golf Course, a 155-acre property that has been vacant for five years, into affordable housing. The measure, known as Referred Question 20, would have lifted a conservation easement that keeps the property a golf course. If approved, the redevelopment plan would have included housing, 25% at least dedicated as affordable or income-restricted; a grocery store; and a park. The site is near a train station too. In the long war between NIMBYs (not-in-my-backyard residents) and YIMBYs (yes-in-my-backyard residents) and what should be developed in certain people’s neighborhoods, critics are saying this marks a new low.
“The Park Hill Golf Course will forever be a case study in missed opportunities,” Bill Rigler, a spokesperson for the Yes on 20 campaign, told the Denver Post. “With historically low turnout, Denver has rejected its single best opportunity to build new affordable housing and create new public parks. Thousands of Denverites who urgently need more affordable housing are now at even greater risk of displacement.”
