What Happened
How This Park Came to Be, and Why It May Soon Close
Broadway Bark Dog Park, located at the corner of Dakota and Cherokee Street in the Broadway Park neighborhood — one block from the Alameda Light Rail Station — has been a beloved open space along the South Broadway corridor, a daily gathering spot for Denver dog owners, families, and neighbors of all backgrounds.
"This isn't just a dog park. It's where our neighborhood comes together, every single day."
The park sits on private property whose owner made the decision to lease it to the Broadway Park North Metropolitan District No. 1 (the "District") at no cost. A major investment in real park amenities and the commitment to daily maintenance were made and are being paid, in part, by the private property owner. This was not just an empty lot left open, but a genuine community space, thoughtfully built and consistently cared for. The private property owner was incentivized to lease the ground to the District by a property tax exemption granted by the City and County of Denver per Section 39-3-124 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, which formally recognized that the use of the land by the District was serving the public good.
Transparency is important: this is a temporary use. The land will eventually be developed, and no one is asking to stop that. Broadway Bark exists because a private owner made the decision to make transitional land available to the public while it awaits its long-term future — and to make the investments and maintenance commitments necessary for it to function as a genuine public amenity. State law supported that decision: under Title 39 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a property tax exemption was available provided certain conditions were met, including leasing the property to a subdivision of the State of Colorado for public use and benefit. Those conditions were met. The City Assessor recognized that, honored State law, and granted the exemption.
What changed was not the park. The Denver Assessor's Office subsequently lobbied the State legislature to rewrite the law, eliminating the ability of Title 32 local governments to independently determine how public space within their jurisdiction should be used, and removing the automatic tax exemption that had rewarded property owners for making that space available for public benefit. The Assessor devised the new framework and publicly testified in support of it. The result, House Bill 25-1289, effectively dismantled the very incentive structure that made open spaces like Broadway Bark viable. Having secured passage of the new law, the Assessor's Office then took the active step of revoking the exemption on this specific property. Unless Denver City Council votes to reinstate the exemption, the park will be forced to close.
That vote is the opportunity the community needs. We are asking Council to vote yes on reinstatement before the park is forced to close, and asking the Assessor's Office to end their crusade against public open space and the elimination of incentives intended to support the creation of new dog parks and other public amenities in our city.
