Mayor Webb, Forest City Announce Stapleton Parks Plan - Brief Article

Parks & Recreation, Sept, 2001

Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, Stapleton master developer Forest City, City of Denver officials and parks advocates joined together to unveil detailed plans for 1,100 acres of new city parks and open space at the Stapleton redevelopment site. Not only will the Stapleton redevelopment combat urban sprawl by reusing 7.5 square miles within city limits, it will actually increase the acreage of Denver Parks by 30 percent. In the tradition of great cities the world over, this new park land will offer community gathering places, while also establishing an urban refuge for native wildlife.

"Denver has a rich legacy of parks and open spaces that is recognized throughout the world," said Mayor Webb. During Mayor Webb's tenure, he has increased the amount of City park acreage by 2,350 acres, a 55% increase. This represents parks that have already been developed during his tenure or parks and open spaces that are currently under development.

Forest City is contributing $44 million to help fund development of this new open space at Stapleton. At the announcement, John Lehigh, chief operating officer of Forest City Stapleton, Inc. presented a check to the Mayor for the first payment of $4 million.

Plans for creating this green refuge in the heart of the city call for:

* An 80-acre urban park in the heart of the redeveopment

* An urban forest and prairie mounds

* A nature center, including a wetlands wildlife habitat

* Creeks, rivers and fountains

* Picnic areas

* A major regional recreation center, including an aquatic center

* Walking and biking trails that complete Denver's greenway loop

* A sledding hill

* Sports fields

* A golf course

* Indoor and outdoor tennis courts

* An on-site plant nursery.

Located on the site of what was once the world's fifth-busiest airport, Stapleton is the nation's largest urban redevelopment. Designed as a series of walkable urban neighborhoods, it will eventually house 30,000 residents and approximately 30,000 workers. The first residents are expected to move into new homes in late 2002.

"We want to do more than just build buildings. We want to create true, walkable urban neighborhoods. That means designing homes with front porches, streets with sidewalks and plenty of places for people to come together and form a community -- like these parks," explains Mr. Lehigh.