Denver Parks & Rec

Dear neighbors,

Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR) is committed to working with the Park Hill neighborhood to deliver a high quality public park in an area with a shortage of open spaces for the community to gather, recreate, and enjoy together. We are moving forward to secure ownership of land on the east side of Fairfax between 28^th and 29^th Ave. for a new park, based on feedback from the community and with the support of Councilman Chris Herndon.

As many in the Park Hill neighborhood have long understood, this area of town is a “park desert” where many residents have over a 10-minute walk to the nearest park. This decision will save taxpayer dollars and expedite the creation of a neighborhood park for you and your family.

Next steps in the process:

• The City and County of Denver will move to secure ownership of the parcel on the east side of Fairfax in equal exchange for a parcel on the west side, which requires city council approval.
• HM Capital will provide funds to DPR to financially support the accelerated design and construction of the park, which also requires city council approval.
• If all is approved, DPR will then re-engage the community and start the design process using the input and conceptual plans from the community meetings and a Greater Park Hill Community report.
• You can stay updated on these dates as they are confirmed, on www.denvergov.org/parkprojects or agendas can be found here as they are published: https://denver.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

We want to make sure all neighbors understand the following facts:

• This will be a public park that will be owned, designed, constructed and maintained by DPR.
• The park will be designated “parkland” following construction to ensure it is protected as a park.
• DPR will procure and complete the design and construction of the park.
• The size of the park will be the same on the east side as contemplated on the west side property.

Background information:

While purchasing land from Xcel Energy in 2015 presented an opportunity to increase neighborhood access to park space, funds were not immediately available to develop the empty lot into a park.  Last year, HM Capital presented DPR with an opportunity that would accelerate the design and construction of a park on the east side of Fairfax by providing financial support. The east parcel is comparable in size, location and zoning to the former Xcel Energy parcel. The Letter of Intent developed in November 2017 allowed the city to evaluate and outline the terms of this option. Prior to formalizing an agreement by submitting an ordinance request to city council for approval, the process was halted to allow DPR to lead community engagement efforts.

A series of community meetings were then held, some hosted by The Greater Park Hill Community and others by DPR to understand what residents wanted in a new neighborhood park and to discuss the various perspectives of developing a park on the west or east side of Fairfax. In a survey with over 170 respondents, we gained a better understanding of the type of activities and amenities that residents favored.  While many were strongly opposed to the building of the park on the east side of Fairfax, even more were ready for a park to be built on the east side and as soon as possible.

We appreciate your interest and ongoing discussion about the development of a park. Your continued input and involvement are important toward the success of creating your local park. To receive an email notification of future engagement opportunities, please send an email to parksandrecreation@denvergov.org with the subject line: Fairfax Park. Thank you.

Denver Parks & Recreation