The City of Denver has asked the Denver District Court to toss a lawsuit concerning redevelopment of the Park Hill Golf Course. A previous lawsuit, filed almost one year to the day before the current suit, was dismissed by a judge for “lack of standing,” according to filed court documents.

The Save Open Space Denver lawsuit levies six allegations against the city and Westside Investment Partners, which owns the golf course. Of the six, the city says four allege the city violated the conservation easement in place on the 155-acre plot of land. The final two allege the transfer of property to Westside is unconstitutional and in violation of the Denver zoning code.

The city argues Save Open Space Denver lacks standing, as they did last year, and requested the suit be dismissed.

Save Open Space Denver is a citizens group who want to see Denver preserve as much of its dwindling green space as possible. The all-volunteer organization have fought to protect the “last piece of significant Denver open space” that is the Park Hill Golf Course. In 2019, the group was behind the passage of ordinance 301, which requires a citywide vote on developing city park lands or lands under a conservation easement.

Westside purchased the Park Hill Golf Course for $24 million in 2019. Since then, plans for the redevelopment of the site have been thwarted by SOS Denver and the conservation easement, which requires the land be used primarily as a golf course.

In January the Denver City Council approved a string of bills opening the door for Westside to redevelop the land into a mixed-use community and a 100-acre, city-owned park, the fourth largest in the city. Plans also feature a multi-use trail connecting the redevelopment to the 40th and Colorado Station and the Clayton and Park Hill neighborhoods. Denver City Councilman Chris Herndon, who represents the district the park is in, vocally supported the plans during the January public hearing. Herndon is term limited after serving three terms as the District 8 Councilman.

The fate of the Park Hill Golf Course is now in the hands of Denver voters, who must approve or deny question 2O during the April 4 general election.