A Year Inside the Fence at Park Hill Park

Park Hill Park turns one on October 28. In its first year, the former golf course got a designer and not much else. You can still walk the same cracked golf-cart paths you could walk at the ribbon cutting, and there's still no dog park or disc golf course. In July, the city named one reason for that: there was no design firm yet. On September 4, Denver hired one.

That's the change to watch on the 155 acres east of Colorado Boulevard. You can't see it from 35th Avenue yet.

What's inside the gate right now

The city's own Park Hill Park page describes "walking trails, native plant species, a mature canopy provided by hundreds of trees, a dog park and much more." The trees are real. The dog park is not built yet.

Denverite visited in late July 2026. The reporter found the property still fenced, with one public gate open from sunrise to sunset, and visitors walking "the crumbling paths from the land's golf-course days." There were no picnic benches. The city's address for the site is 4141 E. 35th Ave. Parking is in the lot by the old clubhouse, just east of Colorado Boulevard and 35th Avenue.

That's about what Denver Parks and Recreation said to expect. Its plan for the first stage was to manage the land as open space. That meant mowing only within four feet of the walkways, leaving the fencing up until the department had the resources to run the park, and opening "key entryways" for access. The irrigation system came with the land in rough shape. DPR spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa told Denverite it is "only partially operational" because most of it was damaged by "years of vandalism and neglect" before the city took over. For now, the department waters select trees and picks up trash weekly. In July it said it planned larger-scale mowing through the end of summer.

So on a visit this fall, expect old golf-course ground with paths through it. It's closer to a big open field than a finished park.

The dog park was waiting on a design firm

DPR's plan had a middle stage between "open the gate" and "build the regional park." In that stage, the department would add low-cost interim amenities "such as a dog park, disc golf, picnic tables, and walking trail" while the long-term design came together. Denverite reported that Parks and Rec Executive Director Jolon Clark first proposed a disc golf course or dog park for the summer of 2025. That put the department more than a year behind as of July 2026.

Denverite asked why. Figueroa's answer was short: "We still need to find a design firm. So construction is far from starting at Park Hill."

The city closed that gap on September 4. Here's the first year in order:

The deal itself also took longer than first announced. The January 2025 announcement aimed for a summer opening. The swap didn't close until October 2, and Denver Post reporting on the closing explained part of the delay. Underground fiber lines reduced how much of the land Westside could develop, so an amendment gave the company 20 more acres, for 165 total. The city said it paid Westside for 12 acres it didn't convey. A city spokeswoman told the Post the exchange was still valued at $12.7 million on each side, with $12.7 million moved from the Parks Legacy Fund.

The firm Denver hired, and what its biggest park says about timing

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, usually shortened to MVVA, won Solicitation No. 202684823. It's a contract for architectural and engineering design services, run by the Denver Bond Office and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The scope reads like a list of everything the old golf course lacks: demolition and site preparation, drainage and channel improvements, lighting, a pumping and UV treatment system for a water play area, paving and small pedestrian bridges, shade structures, native plantings, an irrigation pump station, outdoor adventure areas and playgrounds. It also allows for two years of landscape establishment.

MVVA's own portfolio offers a sense of pace. Brooklyn Bridge Park, the firm's 85-acre waterfront project, began development in 1999 and was finished in phases through 2021. Park Hill Park is 155 acres. Denver's bond program runs on a different schedule. The city says it will build the projects in the $950 million Vibrant Denver Bond over six years, from 2026 to 2031.

We didn't find any Denver news coverage of the MVVA pick. The city's award record is the public confirmation so far. The city's project page still carries a "June Project Update" saying proposals will be reviewed. That update is out of date now, but it also says the team "will be back out in the community in 2027 to continue refining the design." As of now, the project site lists no upcoming engagement events.

What the bond money is meant to buy

The city's bond page sets aside $70 million for building out Park Hill Park. It covers basic infrastructure and lists a playground, sports fields and courts, water play, picnic areas and a dog park as likely amenities, with details to be worked out in design. Denverite's July story put the bond figure at $74 million.

The vision framework from the January 22 open house is the most detailed picture of the finished park so far. It shows a nature-focused center, sports courts, a fieldhouse, a playground, a gathering space near the old clubhouse, and a network of loop paths. The project website says plainly that not everything in the framework has confirmed funding.

Some neighbors expect less than that. Kevin Doyle, a neighborhood leader, told Denverite in July that he thinks the bond money "is only going to cover irrigation in some park paths," and added, "maybe by 2030 we'll see a developed park." That's his reading of the budget. The city's list of planned amenities is longer. The design phase MVVA is starting now is where the two will be settled.

The city is also planning around the park. Denver's Park Hill Action Plan, dated February 2026, lists short-term work for 2026 through 2030: safe access to the park, affordable housing, reducing displacement, healthy food, tree canopy and small-business support.

Neighbors are already planning around it too. Hyde, a Northeast Park Hill resident, has recruited about 70 people to start a community bike co-op. He told Denverite the neighborhood's bike connections "would soon improve with the buildout of the Park Hill Park." His meetings for the project included Kevin Marchman of the Northeast Park Hill Coalition and staff at the Pauline Robinson Library and the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center.

Two ways to use the park this month

The park's first birthday arrives before any new amenities do. Two things are worth doing in October.

1. Join the Park Hill Trash Bash on Saturday, October 17, at 10 a.m. It's on Denver Parks and Recreation's volunteer calendar. Earlier Trash Bashes this year met at the main parking lot off 35th Avenue. The August 15 event was canceled, so it's worth checking the listing before you go.
2. Pair a walk with a stop at The Holly. Holly Square at East 33rd Avenue and Holly Street is about a mile and a half east of the clubhouse lot, an easy bike ride. Blazing Chicken Shack II draws lines long enough that its co-owner told Denverite the restaurant has to limit how long diners stay. La Croissanterie Denver bakes inside Ruby's Good Shoes, an all-day brunch spot at 5405 E. 33rd Ave. The Holly Market is on the same block.

The opening party last October had pop-up games and a temporary climbing wall. Woody Garnsey, the longtime advocate who pushed for years to make the land public parkland, was part of that day. One year later, the gate is still open from sunrise to sunset, and a design team is under contract.

If you live near Park Hill Park, the 2027 design meetings are where its future gets decided. If you're also weighing a move in the next few years and want to know what your home is worth today, The Stairway Team can help. Get Your Free Home Valuation.