The city of Denver is ready to spend its new parks money.
First up: a new park in south Denver. The local government is preparing to spend $5.1 million on a 1.9-acre property in the University Hills neighborhood.
The property — at 4301 and 4307 E. Iliff Ave. — is currently home to the Ground Covers Greenhouse and Garden Center, whose owner is retiring, according to city officials. The planned purchase, which still must be approved by the Denver City Council, was announced by the Hancock administration Monday, a week after ballots dropped for the May mayoral election.
The money would come from the sales tax increase that voters approved last November. The tax — about $0.25 on every $100 purchase — is expected to provide about $45 million per year for parks.
This year, the city expects to spend about half that money acquiring new parks land. Up to $10 million will be used to upgrade other ongoing projects, and another $3 million could be spent on new staffing.
The city plans to launch a community input process to design the new park in south Denver. Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration says it wants to put all Denver residents within a 10-minute walk of a park or open space.
