The City of Fort Collins is a step closer to determining the future of the site that once housed Hughes Stadium. During a Tuesday night city council meeting, leaders heard from the civic assembly on a report that aims to guide the future of the land and become part of the local community.
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The Hughes site sits on the western side of town and once housed the Colorado State football team, but that changed in 2016 when the Rams moved to a new home on campus. Since then, the site’s future has been debated over how to use the plot of land. Many thought the fight was over after a 2021 ballot measure secured the land for natural purposes, but the specifics of that decision continue today. Some have advocated for part of the land to be a bike park, while others want it to be a purely natural space.
The latter are working on a new petition to once again ask voters what to do with the land, with a stronger group of constituents urging for the support ofr a simple open space. That means they want to avoid amenities like a bike park.
“This is true democracy in action, and it is why we are seeing high-impact “mult-iuse” (bike park) proponents desperately attempt to sow discord and vitriol on social media channels with a targeted digital smear campaign against us,” wrote the Yes for Hughes Open Space website.
While bike park supporters say they simply want a piece of the land to create a space for everyone in the community.
“We have this phenomenal (biking) community, right? And these types of facilities we’re just so overdue for and there's been a gap for who we are with our level of cycling love,” said Kevin Krause, a member of the Fort Collins Bike Park Collective, when he spoke to KUNC in March. “It's a no-brainer, and it's just a matter of figuring out how to accomplish it within the constraints that exist.”
The ongoing debate was front and center while Fort Collins council members discussed it Tuesday.
Trying to pinpoint what to do with the space is why they voted in 2024 to allocate $150,000 for Health Democracy, a nonprofit specializing in civic assemblies. The organization created the assembly with 20 delegates that represent the city’s diversity “in terms of age, council district, housing status, household income, and educational attainment.”
The group spent two weekends learning about the Hughes site from interested parties. The goal was to determine the best use of the land that coincides with the 2021 ballot measure. During that time, they heard from multiple people and organizations sharing their views of the site.
The city says the aim was for transparency and collaboration. And members of the civic assembly were available to share their insight on Tuesday, saying they did just that.
“We varied in everything from age, experience, background, even income levels,” said Colin Russell, one of the 20 delegates. “There were certainly points in which delegates disagreed, but there was never an argument. Just calm healthy discussion.”
During the council session, the final report was discussed, which included several votes from the 20 person delegation. Some of the decisions include:
- 89% support a combination of bike park, open spaces, natural area, trails and conservation/education features.
- 79% support designates a portion of the site for cultural/educational opportunities with emphasis on indigenous voices.
- 89% support a portion being a natural area with features for restorative natural habitats. Connecting trails to Maxwell and Pine Ridge.
- A separate note focused on just a bike park for a portion of the property only received 47% support.
The final item created some confusion between council members and delegates on where they stand on a bike park, as two separate items included the wording with vastly different levels of support. However, they concluded that the assembly backs a multi-use park, but varies on what the bike park could offer and how large it could be.
Earlier this year, a presentation outlined bike park options by reviewing other local destinations. The report stirred a similar discussion about park sizes and what they could offer.
“I picture more of an adaptive, skill-building, safe (park), all of those things,” said Council Member Susan Gutowsky in response to a delegate outlining varying levels of bike park. “I guess what I’m having trouble with is that I have also been to Valmont (Boulder). It’s monumental, it’s huge. It’s all about skill building, and I didn’t see a whole lot of adaptability other than pretty intense bike park use.”
With this data, city council will determine the next steps of what’s to come for the Hughes site. They’re hoping to complete the process by July or August and have a site plan. However, they agreed during the meeting to have another work session prior to that.
Next on the agenda is a presentation in front of the “Super Issue” Meeting Board of Commissioners on June 23. During the meeting, Fort Collins’ city manager said the council has the power to put something on this November’s ballot if they choose to do so.
