Denver voters should not be fooled by deep-pocket real estate developers
Contact:
Colette Carey
EJ Reilly & Associates
(720) 815-6800
[email protected]
DENVER, CO (September 28, 2021) Deep-pocket real estate developers, Westside Investment Partners – who are attempting to eliminate an existing conservation easement and develop the protected Park Hill Golf Course open space- have some explaining to do.
On June 9, 2021, Westside created a non-profit, Empower Northeast Denver (END), a group being held up as a ‘grassroots’ organization to ‘protect the voice and the future of our community.’ The creation of this group is nothing more than a cynical attempt by Westside to oppose Ballot Initiative 301 (one would preserve the Park Hill Golf Course land as designated green, open space). In addition, according to the END’s August Campaign Report, Westside has contributed all $280,305.00 in cash and in-kind financial contributions to this ‘grassroots’ organization.
“This blatant and brazen attempt by deep-pocket developers to steal protected open space from the City of Denver is over the top,” said Tony Pigford, a spokesperson for YES for Parks and Open Space. “We don’t do it this way in Denver. Denver citizens are too smart to fall for these political tricks. If they had true grassroots support, they wouldn’t need to create a phony organization to try and pull the wool over Denver voters’ eyes.”
Empower Northeast Denver is actually just a Westside alter ego formed and fully financed by Westside:
(1) Westside Investment Partners formed Empower Northeast Denver as a Colorado non-profit corporation on June 9, 2021, soon after it began the process for Election Division approval for Initiated Ordinance 302;
(2) Empower Northeast Denver’s principal office and registered agent are located at Westside’s corporate offices in Glendale; and
(3) as of the filing of its August campaign finance report for Initiated Ordinance 302, all $280,305 of the cash and in-kind financial contributions reported for Initiated Ordinance 302 were provided by Westside Investment Partners and its subsidiary ACM Park Hill JV VII LLC.
YES for Parks and Open Space continues to be an all-volunteer organization with no single member of the group taking any payment for their work on this campaign.
About YES for Parks and Open Space
YES for Parks and Open Space is an initiative launched by a group of concerned citizens who want to ensure that the voters in the City and County of Denver have a voice in how the land in our designated parks and open spaces, protected by conservation easements, can be used – starting with the 155 acres former Park Hill Golf Course.