A ballot measure encouraging Denver voters to allow the city to relinquish a perpetual conservation easement on the Park Hill Golf Course to allow for redevelopment picked up a number of endorsements in the days since Denver City Council members voted to put it on the April 4 ballot. 

Wednesday, the campaign “Yes for Parks and Homes” officially launched after council approved the rezoning of park land, the development agreement and the creation of five metro districts. Council also approved sending the question to the voters of Denver, as required by initiated ordinance 301.

The campaign launched with 20 endorsements from housing, environmental and civic organizations serving the Denver area. One of those 20 is the Metro Denver Habitat for Humanity. 

“We are facing short and long term crises with our affordable housing shortage and climate change,” Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver CEO Heather Lafferty said in a news release. “Repurposing a defunct golf course into an actual community asset where people can afford to live should be everyone’s priority.” 

Lafferty called the project the future of Denver.

The defunct Park Hill Golf Course has sat largely vacant for years. In 2019, Westside Investment Partners, LLC purchased the land for $24 million. Plans to redevelop it have so far been thwarted because of the perpetual conservation easement, which forbids redevelopment of the land. 

The development plans approved by the city call for 550 units of affordable housing, a grocery store and nearly 100 acres of park space to the North Park Hill neighborhood. 

“Governor Polis’ State of the State address underscored that affordable housing is the defining challenge of this generation,” Stefka Fanchi, the CEO of Elevation Community Land Trust, said. “Voting to lift the conservation easement creates thousands of new housing units.” 

According to a Yes for Parks and Homes news release, the conservation easement and the private ownership of the land means it has never been open space. 

Other organizations endorsing the redevelopment ballot measure include the Black Business Initiative, Butterfly Pavilion, Denver New Liberals and the Volunteers of America National Services and several others.

Ballots begin mailing March 13 and the last day to vote is April 4, according to the Denver Clerk and Recorder.