Category Archives: Petitions

New Announcement June 7 2013

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 Denver District Judge Herbert L. Stern III will decide whether to grant a preliminary injunction preventing Mayor Hancock and city council from trading  10.7 acres of Hampden Heights North Park in southeast Denver for an office building downtown.  Friends of Denver Parks, a non-profit corporation whose mission is to protect and preserve Denver parks, natural areas, and open space, joined two individual homeowners and filed suit on May 30 to block the trade.

 Denver attorney John Case, who is representing the plaintiffs pro-bono, said that he is excited to have an early hearing date.   “Denver city charter section 2.4.5 says that city officials cannot transfer any part of a park without a vote of the people,” Case said.  “We are asking the Court to let the people decide.  We believe that citizens want Denver to be a beautiful outdoor environment where parents can teach their children to enjoy wildlife in the city, and people throughout the city can walk and bicycle through natural areas.”

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Thank you for visiting Friends of Denver Parks!

Thank you for visiting Friends of Denver Parks!

We are a non-profit Colorado corporation organized for the specific purpose of protecting Denver parks and designated Natural Areas.  Our first challenge is to save 10.7 acres of Hampden Heights North Park, located at S. Havana St. and East Girard Ave.  This beautiful park land is part of a 90 acre natural area which includes Hampden Heights North Park and Paul Hentzell Park.

The City Charter says that no park land can be sold or transferred without a vote of the people.  On April 1, 2013 our mayor and city council voted to trade this priceless land for an office building downtown.

The Natural Area borders the banks of Cherry Creek.  It includes an Historic Trail.  It was formerly used as a Native American hunting ground for bison and deer.  Motor vehicles are not allowed.  The natural area is home to numerous and fascinating indigenous species of plant and animal life, including deer, fox, coyote, skunk, raccoon, muskrat, prairie dogs, beaver, hummingbirds, chickadees, robins, sparrows, finches, blackbirds, magpies, crows, woodpeckers, flickers, other small birds, butterflies, caterpillars, ant colonies, roly poly bugs, insects, crawdads, minnows, ducks, geese, heron, owls, and hawks, all of which are seen, heard and enjoyed on a regular basis by citizens of Denver and their children who walk and play and bicycle in the natural area.  Our mascot baby owl was born this year in a cottonwood tree in the natural area.

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