Denverites’ decision five years ago to bump up the city’s sales tax rate, creating a wellspring of funding for parks, is finally ready to bear fruit — in the form of grass, gardens or other greenery — in neighborhoods across the city.
Or in the case of a west Denver neighborhood that’s been hungry for more public amenities, a “concrete-y” skate park. Since its unofficial December opening, the park in Westwood has become a gathering place tailored to the wants of teens and tweens.
Jolon Clark was a driving force behind the parks sales tax measure in 2018. The then-City Council president wrote the legislation and helped lead the campaign. It passed with nearly 62% of the vote, giving birth to the city’s Parks Legacy Fund, which is fed by a 0.25% sales tax. That amounts to an extra 2.5 cents on a $10 purchase.
As tax money flows in, the fund contributed nearly $35 million to various parks projects around the city in 2023, with another $37.8 million in the budget this year. Overall, the tax has been bringing in more than $45 million a year lately, with some of that banked for later.
First-year Mayor Mike Johnston appointed Clark in October to serve as the city’s parks and recreation director. Now Clark is looking ahead to six new parks that are expected to open across Denver over the next few years, many with backing from the fund he helped get off the ground.
“We’re really trying to close the gaps on the map to make sure that it doesn’t matter where you live in Denver — it doesn’t matter what ZIP code you are in — you have a great, high-quality park that you can get to easily,” Clark said.
Here is a look at the parks that are on the way. None have official names yet, so they’re referred to by cross streets and neighborhood.
West Kentucky Avenue and South Irving Street, Westwood
This former Xcel Energy substation across the street from Kepner Beacon Middle School is already showing up on some online maps (including the city’s neighborhoods map) as the “Westwood Skatepark.”
It quietly opened for public use in early December after city workers learned neighborhood kids were trying to sneak past the fencing there, Clark said. The $2.7 million project, which includes some legacy fund dollars, is all but complete.
“We’ll do an official ribbon-cutting probably in March, once we’ve ticked off the final development agreement stuff and had a chance for the plants to grow in a little bit,” he said.
Turning that property into a gathering place for older youths has been a priority in the underserved Westwood neighborhood since City Clerk and Recorder Paul López represented the area on the council back in 2015, city officials say.
Jamie Torres now represents Council District 3. Westwood is a heavily residential neighborhood without much vacant space. She said the city has turned to the linking of pocket parks that interconnect along the neighborhood’s “Via Verde” greenway as a way of delivering more recreational space to the neighborhood.
Torres described the Kentucky and Irving property as “concrete-y,” but it’s concrete with a purpose. The park now offers skate park features, a half court for basketball and a mural celebrating the neighborhood’s diverse population.
“I live right by Paco Sanchez,” a park in West Colfax, Torres said. “There’s a small skate skills (area) and basketball court there and it is used every single day — so I love that this has been added to Westwood’s park network.”
East 47th Avenue and North Telluride Street, Green Valley Ranch
The city has owned this land for 15 years, and it’s sat vacant as the far-northeast Green Valley Ranch neighborhood has grown up around it. Parks and Recreation is now ready to turn it into a 13-acre community hub, Clark said.
Neighborhood residents were asked to give input in 2022, and ideas that sprang from that process included building a trail network that connects to the city’s broader regional system; multi-use sports fields; a large playground; and an interactive water feature. Final design work is expected to get underway this year, with construction to follow and a potential opening date in 2026.
The $10 million budget for the work will draw from the legacy fund and bond dollars voters approved in 2021, Clark said.
As one of Denver’s newer neighborhoods, with a suburban character, Green Valley Ranch already has lots of green spaces woven into it, said Diva Moore, who sits on the citizens advisory board there. But new, denser residential development means even more parks are needed.
“One of the complaints of Green Valley Ranch residents is actually a lack of activities for our young people, so while a park doesn’t fill all of the requirements, it is a welcome addition,” Moore said.
Public safety remains a major concern in the neighborhood. Moore hopes that with the plan for a new public gathering place, the city will heed residents’ requests for more police patrols as well.
East Iliff Avenue and South Bellaire Street, University Hills
This roughly 2-acre property used to be occupied by the Ground Covers Greenhouse and Garden Center. It the first parcel of land the city bought with Parks Legacy Fund dollars back in 2019.
The purchase price then was $5.1 million. Parks and Rec is now preparing to spend another $6.5 million in legacy fund and bond dollars to convert the long, skinny property into a park with amenities that will include a demonstration garden and a community event space.
It’s on the same timeline at the Green Valley Ranch Park, with final design work this year, construction in 2025 and opening in 2026.
Clark said former District 4 Councilwoman Kendra Black worked with a committee to find a potential name for the property, settling on Bethesda Park. The name is a nod to the former Bethesda Sanatorium, which later served as a psychiatric hospital in the neighborhood, he said.
Kittredge Street and East Bolling Drive, Green Valley Ranch
This 9-acre future park also has a working name attached to it — Avion Park — to match the name of the residential development it eventually will be located within.
The developer was required only to give the land over to the city as part of its development plan, but Clark said it also has agreed to split the estimated $8 million construction cost. The city’s share would come from the legacy fund.
A community-input process completed last year calls for a “community-sized playground,” two athletic fields, a walking loop around the park and more.
Clark is hopeful it will be ready for community enjoyment in 2025.
East 44th Avenue and Pearl Street, Globeville
The city is working to acquire more land around this former site of a tiny home village for the homeless to create a roughly 1-acre pocket park in a geographically isolated corner of north Denver. It’s what the neighborhood overwhelmingly asked for, Clark said.
“We estimate this new park will serve about 1,700 residents, including 500 youth who are not currently with a 10-minute walk or roll window” from another park, Clark said. “So it’s really critical for this community.”
A public input process will determine what kind of amenities the parks department will decide to build there.
The council recently approved two property acquisitions that grew the park’s footprint, along with $295,000 to pay for immediate cleanup work and the planning process for the land, Clark said. The Denver Park Trust, a nonprofit group that supports the parks department, has also put up $50,000 to help with land acquisition and design and construction work.
10th Avenue and Alcott Street, Sun Valley
The name of this forthcoming 10-acre park may be settled business, with city planning documents referring to it as Sun Valley Riverfront Park.
The property, on the west side of the South Platte River, will be jointly developed by the Denver Housing Authority and Xcel Energy before they hand ownership over to the parks department, Clark said.
Design work is already underway on the first segment, between west Ninth and 11th avenues. Parks officials hope to begin construction in 2024, and the first 5 acres are scheduled to open to residents, including people living in the housing authority’s Sun Valley homes, in 2026.
The Parks Legacy Fund has provided $1 million for that first phase. There is also $2 million in bond funding and $6 million from the housing authority in the pot, city officials say.
The features likely to be incorporated over time include natural riverfront landscaping, improved access to the South Platte River Trail, an off-leash dog park and gardens sponsored by the Denver Botanic Gardens.
“Some of the food that’s grown in these gardens will provide produce for the community pantry in Sun Valley,” Clark said.
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