Residents urge rezone of Westminster Hills east parcel to O‑1 open space; council asks staff to prepare ordinance

Residents urged Westminster City Council on Sept. 22 to clarify the legal status of the East Parcel of Westminster Hills open space — commonly referred to in public testimony as Hudona or the Dog Park — and to rezone the land from planned unit development (PUD) to O‑1 open space zoning.

Sherry Griffin, who spoke during public comment, said the parcel’s PUD designation is inconsistent with other city open space protections and with the comprehensive plan. “Our memo leaves you with a brief poem called otherwise that reminds us all to be grateful for the things we are fortunate to have and to experience,” Griffin said. She asked the council to act to provide “maximum legal protection for the East Parcel of Westminster Hills open space.”

Deborah Austin, another speaker, emphasized the parcel’s recreational use and provided maps to council that she said show inconsistency between current PUD zoning and other Westminster open space designations. “The PUD zoning of the dog park is inconsistent with the city's other open space recreation areas,” Austin said, and urged rezoning to O‑1 open space to make future development more difficult.

Council and staff response City Manager and staff representatives told council they would follow up and provide the engagement team’s detailed response and the history of the parcel’s planning. City Attorney’s office clarified the relevant code requirements on the record: Westminster’s municipal code requires compliance with the comprehensive plan. The city attorney stated that the comp plan designation for the parcels is open space and creek corridor and that the land is city‑owned. “The land is owned by the city and it’s designated as open space and creek corridor,” the city attorney said on the record.

Council direction Council asked staff to prepare a clearer record and to bring an ordinance for council consideration to resolve the apparent discrepancy and eliminate confusion moving forward. The city manager said staff could prepare an ordinance to make the zoning explicit and “eliminate confusion at this time.”

Context and concerns Speakers linked their comments to broader regional infrastructure plans, warning that the Jefferson Parkway and associated bridge work could encourage future development interest in the area. Residents requested maximum legal protection now so that later councils will have less latitude to approve development on the parcel.

Ending Staff promised to provide council with the engagement team’s written response, the parcel’s zoning and comp plan history, and an ordinance option to consider at a future meeting.