Unity, resilience, connectedness — these words are woven into the cultural fabric of Northeast Park Hill.
At one point in time, Northeast Park Hill embodied Denver’s vision of a vibrant and flourishing community. It thrived with Black-owned businesses, bustling fresh food markets, and reliable infrastructure. It was a place where the community had ownership and where residents took pride in calling it “home.”
As such, the City of Denver recognized the community’s potential and invested funds to support its aspirations. Northeast Park Hill not only survived, it flourished.
Unfortunately, during the last five decades, Northeast Park Hill, like many urban neighborhoods across the country, has been subject to institutional practices that perpetuate social inequities, rendering it a forgotten community.
Businesses have divested or been pushed out of the neighborhood. The King Soopers in Northeast Park Hill — once Colorado’s largest food market — closed in 1970, and the neighborhood also lost the Dahlia bowling lanes, the skating rink, and several other Black-owned businesses.
Today, the signs of neglect are evident.
The neighborhood continues to suffer from critical infrastructure deficiencies, limited connectivity to the rest of the city, and a lack of sidewalks and proper lighting.
Many parts of the neighborhood — and many parts of northeast Denver more broadly — have insufficient sidewalks, with some areas completely lacking sidewalks. Other areas have no dedicated bike lanes or unsafe street crossings.
And, there is a need for more affordable housing. While the Urban Land Conservancy site near 40th and Colorado can help contribute to that need, it only solves a portion of the problem.
Is the city’s lack of care or investment because Northeast Park Hill is home to Denver’s largest Black population? Perhaps.
Or maybe it’s because the city’s privilege persistently overshadows and misrepresents the voices of those most impacted by its decisions. The redevelopment plans for the Park Hill Golf Course epitomize this ongoing struggle.
Regardless of the reasons for its current state, Northeast Park Hill deserves better.
That’s why community members have been advocating for the 303 ArtWay Heritage Trail, a critical public investment project. The 303 ArtWay is a resident-led vision for an art-filled walkway and bikeway designed to link nine northeast Denver neighborhoods and connect residents to schools, parks, business centers, health clinics, and RTD’s 40th & Colorado light rail station. If completed, the 303 Artway will reflect significant progress toward addressing some of the challenges that have plagued the neighborhood.
It will help with mobility and infrastructure and will better connect Northeast Park Hill to other parts of the city. It will also celebrate–through art installations, murals and more– the neighborhood’s rich and vibrant history and culture.
The 303 ArtWay is a chance to show the region and the nation how improved walking and biking connectivity, along with local art that celebrates heritage, can strengthen the bonds of community, contribute to neighborhood “placemaking,” and make for a fun and healthy viable alternative to people using their cars to get around their own neighborhoods.
The project reflects the needs and desires of so many in our communities: our youth who seek employment and safe spaces to spend their time; the wheelchair-bound elderly residents who require accessible routes to affordable transportation and healthy food options; the Black and Brown entrepreneurs striving for business opportunities in a thriving economy; and the families burdened by spending more than 50% of their income on housing.
The 303 ArtWay is a community-focused and community-driven in-placement project, with the exact routes to be decided through community input. But, in the end, the goal is for it to connect nine neighborhoods in Northeast Denver.
Community members advocating for the 303 ArtWay are confident this project will improve the health and quality of life of Northeast Denver residents.
We’ve seen some success with the project, including funding for new streetlights and murals. Funders and partners in this project include Trust for Public Land, Radian and The Colorado Health Foundation.
But, despite the planned benefits, the 303 ArtWay has also faced several setbacks. The project was shelved by the city once the design was done, and there has been inadequate progress in actually installing streetlights in the neighborhood.
Now, with only months left in his term, we challenge Mayor Michael Hancock’s current administration to identify a solution to route the 303 ArtWay through the Park Hill Golf Course, and to provide funding for the much-needed development and lighting of the trail.
We also challenge our next mayor to support projects that pledge equitable investment in Northeast Park Hill and Northeast Denver, and to support the work of the 303 ArtWay and local developers in the community.
The 303 ArtWay is a bold vision for all Northeast Denver residents. In partnership with the city, we can unite in helping plan and create a lasting legacy that will benefit community members from all walks of life for generations to come.
Aaron Miripol is the president and CEO of Urban Land Conservancy, a Denver-based nonprofit that uses real estate to create and preserve physical community asset and he is a member of the 303Artway Heritage Trail. Herman White is the principal portfolio manager and managing partner at The Holleran Group – a collaborative partnership of community-driven African American real estate developers, brokers, financial and community relations professionals with a focus in NE Denver. He is a member of the 303Artway Heritage Trail.
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
