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A zebra sanctuary in Park Hill? A wave pool? Denver residents weigh in with ideas for massive new city park

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A zebra sanctuary in Park Hill? A wave pool? Denver residents weigh in with ideas for massive new city park


Many Denverites’ ideas for what should go in the city’s newest park are on the practical and predictable side: Hiking trails. A pond. A dog park. Maybe even a botanic garden.

Then, there are the wild cards.

A zebra sanctuary, a wave pool, a skijoring training area.

These suggestions, both the realistic and the ones that seem pulled straight from a 10-year-old’s imagination, are just some of the options that Denver Parks and Recreation likely will weigh as officials decide what will be built at the former Park Hill Golf Course property once it becomes a public park.

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Residents and supporters look on during a press conference at the Park Hill Golf Course in Denver on Jan. 15, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

In an attempt to get a feel for what Denverites want to see in the new park, The Denver Post conducted an informal online survey this week. As of midday Friday, it had garnered 318 responses.

The 155-acre former golf course in northeast Denver has been the subject of debate and consternation for decades. After several citywide votes over whether the land should remain open space, be developed into housing and shops, or a mix of both, the decision has been announced by Mayor Mike Johnston: the full property will become a park.

When it opens this summer, the not-yet-named park will be the city’s fourth largest behind only City Park, Sloan’s Lake and Washington Park.

But the fight over the land isn’t totally over.

In the next round, city officials will weigh which amenities they should pursue for the future park. While the area will open initially as open space, Parks and Recreation plans to solicit feedback, a process that will inform how officials develop the park further.

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The city has suggested it may add some lower-cost developments to the park, like picnic tables or a disc golf course, as it builds a long-term plan.

Officials will rake through input from residents near and far, consider the city’s bank account, design a park, and — almost certainly — leave some, or many, residents frustrated when their ideas lose out.

Here’s some of what The Post learned in its survey: Of 15 potential amenities listed in the survey as options, seven received more than 100 votes from the respondents (who could choose more than one).

They were, in descending order: Hiking trails, a playground, picnic tables, a pond or lake, a botanic garden, a dog park, and a performance space or stage.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said hiking trails were an amenity they wished to see in the park.

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Those who answered also had an opportunity to say which amenity they most wanted. Twenty-four people said walking trails were the amenity they dreamed of the most, while 20 said a dog park, 16 said pickleball courts, 14 said a golf course and nine said a disc golf course.

Here are some of the suggestions residents made when given a “fill in the blank” option. Answers are transcribed almost exactly as they were written:

  • Dog park!
  • Anything but another dog park
  • SKATE PARK (CAN BE SMALL)
  • Could we make part of it a zebra sanctuary?
  • Skijoring training area
  • Kid stuff
  • TREES
  • Artificial wave machine

Some of the most creative ideas:

  • A city-funded vet office for wildlife so there is a place where people can bring injured wildlife
  • Locking wooden stocks for public shaming
  • Film at Park Hill showing movies on a big screen
  • Roller rink

About 80 of the respondents said they lived in Park Hill neighborhoods.

Irene Andress, 70, has lived in the area for the last 10 years. A frequent visitor of City Park, Andress hopes the city will build a pond to bring in migratory birds to Park Hill. She would also love to see a bike loop.

“We don’t have great trail access here at Park Hill,” she said. “We just need something where you can get in your regular exercise.”

A man walks his dog through the shuttered Park Hill Golf Course on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
A man walks his dog through the shuttered Park Hill Golf Course on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Shontel Lewis, who represents the neighborhood on the Denver City Council, said it’s early in the feedback process but, mostly, her constituents just want to be a part of the decision-making process around the park’s development.

“And that doesn’t mean that it’s not a park for everyone,” Lewis said. “The residents can have the opportunity to design what they believe the vision for that park should be, and it can be a park that is open to the public and meets the needs of the greater Denver metro area.”

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The city is in the process of formally acquiring the property through a land trade deal with the owners, Westside Investment Partners. Pending council approval, Johnston has agreed to give the developers a 145-acre parcel of land the city owns near Denver International Airport.

Denver Parks and Recreation hasn’t yet started to solicit feedback, but residents can sign up to be notified once the process has begun on its website. The city plans to build upon input it has received in the past with surveys, pop-up events, public meetings and open houses, said Stephanie Figueroa, a spokesperson for the parks department.

The park’s development will be funded through a 2018 voter-approved 0.25% sales tax called the Parks Legacy Fund, which dedicates dollars for parks, trails and open space in the city.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.

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Bo Nix’s footwork is “a lot better” as he plays under center more. Coincidence?

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Bo Nix’s footwork is “a lot better” as he plays under center more. Coincidence?


On the first of Bo Nix’s four touchdown passes against Green Bay, he did what he does more frequently than any quarterback in football.

Nix escaped from the pocket and took off running. He moved up and to the left before hitting Michael Bandy for a 20-yard catch-and-scamper.

The next three touchdowns, though, are where the Broncos offense can dream about a deep postseason run or even more.

Nix, operating from the gun, delivered strikes of all shapes and sizes and did so with clean footwork in the pocket.

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He identified coverage, took a short, one-step drop and fired a perfectly placed low ball to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Then a three-step drop to get the ball up and down with beautiful pace and timing to Courtland Sutton one-on-one up the right sideline.

Nix polished off the fourth touchdown when he five-step dropped, hitched up in the pocket twice and uncorked a rocket up the seam for Troy Franklin on a motion and route concept the Broncos have made hay on most of the year.

The Packers game represented a breakout as Nix completed 23 of 34 passes for 302 yards and the four touchdowns, but his game’s been heating up more broadly over the past month.

He had an efficient day in a much different style against Las Vegas, completing 31 of 38 passes and engineering three battering-ram touchdown drives. He threw for 616 yards in the two weeks before that in wins over Washington and Kansas City.

In those four games, Nix has completed 69.5% of his passes for 282.5 yards per game and thrown five touchdowns and an interception. Before that stretch, he completed 60.9% and averaged 212 yards per game.

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What’s changed? Start from the ground up.

“I think his footwork has got a lot better,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “And the way he handles himself in the pocket, trusting the protection. We’ve talked about it all year and the last four games he’s done a really good job of that.

“He’s moving when he needs to and he’s hanging in there when he needs to.”

Head coach Sean Payton earlier this season said the quarterbacks get some specific footwork drilling done during a normal game week but not a ton. They’ll work a particular concept or drop between periods, but for the most part, the work is plan-specific.

Nix, though, has been working on his own pocket presence in his own ways in recent weeks.

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“I think he’s probably one of the best … at learning from mistakes, and looking in the mirror and seeing what his weaknesses are,” tight end Evan Engram told The Post.

“He’s sitting in there, he’s trusting the protection, he’s letting it rip. And that’s something that he saw. And he worked on. And like – I can’t say how hard that is. I’ve never done it in my life. You’ve got freakin’ monsters rushing you, every play. And credit to the O-line, too.

The staff also appears to be doing a better job of helping get Nix into good rhythm. Part of that is by playing more frequently from under center. The touchdowns outlined above came out of shotgun, but one commonly held belief is that playing from under center helps keep footwork clean because a quarterback is forced to do it coming back from the center.



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Nikola Jokic passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most assists by center in NBA history as Nuggets beat Magic

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Nikola Jokic passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most assists by center in NBA history as Nuggets beat Magic


For his latest trick, Nikola Jokic dribbled into oncoming traffic and escaped unscathed.

Sometimes after he reels in a defensive rebound, the Nuggets center prefers to launch an aerial attack with one of his long outlet passes. This time, he brought the ball with him up on his usual route up the middle of the floor. Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. trailed him by a step. Up ahead, Tyus Jones veered into his lane from the left, sensing an opportunity to pick the pocket of a lumbering big man.

But Jokic is nimble. Before Jones could cut across his front side, he anticipated the attempted swipe and transferred his dribbling hand with a behind-the-back move that shouldn’t have looked so graceful. Jones whiffed. Carter caught up, but Jokic decelerated to allow him to pass. Then the newly minted best passing center of all time went behind the back again — this time, a dime to Jamal Murray, who finished the play with a lefty floater.

Denver’s stars were just showing off at that point in the third quarter of a 126-115 win over the Magic that wasn’t always so smooth-sailing.

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DENVER , CO – DECEMBER 18: Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets passes behind his back as Tyus Jones (2) of the Orlando Magic watches during the third quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

It was a monumental night. At 30 years old and 302 days, Jokic passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday for the most assists by a center in NBA history. Coming into the game, all he needed was six to match Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 5,660. He finished the evening with 13, highlighting a 23-point, 11-rebound triple-double.

“For those of us that love the history of the game, that one should be wrote about and talked about, and that should be a national story,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “Because that’s passing a guy that you could argue — if you just want to go by generations and not, ‘Who’s the best player of all time?’ and all the talk-talk stuff — Kareem is in the conversation. Look at his MVPs. Look at the winning. And our guy tonight from Denver just passed him in a category.”

“This is a time that I can be able to look back and appreciate all the years I’ve had to play this game with him,” Murray said. “It’s special. Passing Kareem in anything is pretty cool. So I think it just speaks to his greatness and how unselfish he is.”

Jokic has also passed other Hall of Famers including Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson on the all-time list this season, now ranking 50th overall in career assists. Next up for him to catch is another legendary passer, Larry Bird. Jokic is 28 away from tying him.

“I always say the assist makes two people happy (instead of one). My coach ‘Deki,’ he always said that,” Jokic said Thursday, paying homage to the late Golden State Warriors and Mega Basket coach Dejan Milojevic.

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“Maybe it’s not a splashy pass or whatever,” the three-time MVP continued, “but I think when you make the right play, you’re going to feel good about yourself.”

Adelman was especially adamant about the historical significance of the occasion. He gave Jokic the game ball in Denver’s locker room after the win.

“It’s such a cool thing, because it’s Kareem, who was passed by LeBron (James) as the all-time leading scorer, which puts in perspective who Nikola passed,” Adelman said. “So it’s a celebration of both people. It’s somebody that completely changed the game. The sky hook. The longevity. … I feel like in the modern era, we talk about Tom Brady and all these people. But go look at Kareem. The guy changed his name while he played. The guy plays 20-plus years and, until the very end, was impactful on teams that went to the Finals. So for Nikola to pass him, I think, says a lot. And if we’re going to celebrate what LeBron did, (we should celebrate this also). And I know it’s a different kind of thing because it’s a center, it’s a position. I’ll just keep saying it. Just don’t get tired of this, because it’s unique.”

Jokic is also closing in on Oscar Robertson for second all-time in triple-doubles. Thursday was his 177th, bringing him within four of the iconic guard. He became the first center in league history to average a triple-double last season, and he’s on pace to do so again this year with 29.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.

Orlando called a timeout after Jokic and Murray combined for that saucy transition bucket in the third quarter. As they sauntered to the huddle, Nuggets assistant coaches Ognjen Stojakovic and JJ Barea could only laugh at the duo’s skill and panache.

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DENVER , CO - DECEMBER 18: Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic laughs as the Orlando Magic take a timeout during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 126-115 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
DENVER , CO – DECEMBER 18: Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic laughs as the Orlando Magic take a timeout during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 126-115 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

“That’s how kind of we made our staple in that second unit growing up, was just the give-and-go,” Murray said of Jokic’s passing. “… A lot of give-and-go, and you could see his court vision and his fluidity.”

The Nuggets did most of their work Thursday during an astonishing second quarter. They flipped a 47-33 deficit with a 35-7 run that only took the last 6:26 of the first half. Murray scored 20 of his 32 points in the frame. Reserve point guard Jalen Pickett ignited the comeback and was a plus-26 in eight minutes of playing time that quarter.

Both teams were short-handed at Ball Arena. Orlando was fending without Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. Denver was down three of its best defenders with Peyton Watson (right trunk contusion) ruled out shortly before tip, joining Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon on the shelf.

In Watson’s place, Bruce Brown started his first game as a Denver Nugget since April 9, 2023. David Adelman used 10 of his 11 available players, including Julian Strawther, who was cleared to play earlier this week after missing a month with a back injury.



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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine


When: Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown: 

Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.





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