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Committee forwards three city‑owned sites to open‑space zoning; staff cite Heron Pond completion
Summary
The South Park committee advanced a package rezoning three city‑owned parcels (including Heron Pond, 44th & Pearl, and the Far Northeast Maintenance Facility) to open‑space (OSA) zoning; Denver Parks and Recreation confirmed ownership and said Heron Pond construction is wrapping up after a roughly $40 million investment.
The South Park committee voted April 8 to send a package of three city‑owned properties to the full City Council for rezoning to OSA (open space), aligning zoning with Denver Parks and Recreation’s planned park uses.
'Joe,' the staff presenter introduced to the committee, described the three sites—two in Council District 9 (including the Heron Pond site and a recently acquired 44th & Pearl parcel) and one in Council District 11 (the Far Northeast Maintenance Facility)—and said planning board unanimously recommended approval. He told the committee the applications are consistent with adopted plans such as Comprehensive Plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver.
Owen Wells, assistant director of Parks Planning with Denver Parks and Recreation, answered council members’ questions about ownership and status. Wells confirmed the city owns all three sites and said Heron Pond is "wrapping up," describing it as a major regional park developed with roughly a $40,000,000 investment and an approximately 80‑acre footprint. He added that 44th & Pearl is in pre‑development with a community design process and that the Far Northeast Maintenance Facility was purchased last year to meet prior bond obligations.
Council members asked why the rezonings are being advanced now. Wells and staff said the rezoning is part of a map‑cleanup strategy: bundling newly acquired or newly intended park properties and rezoning them in advance so zoning matches the intended open‑space use and to reduce repeated return hearings as acquisitions proceed.
After discussion, the committee recorded a motion and a second to forward the package to the full council. In closing, a council member asked whether Heron Pond still displays public warning signs about prior contamination; Wells said the signs remain and that he would check with urban ecology colleagues about current water‑quality details.
Next steps: the rezoning package will be scheduled for the full council's consideration; staff indicated the items will appear on the council floor.
