April 25th, 2025, by Rebecca Powell | Fort Collins Coloradoan
Corrections & Clarifications: This story has been corrected to reflect that the city is not required to own the former Hughes Stadium land. A proposed ballot measure would require the city to retain ownership and not lease or convey the property to another party.
In the conversation around what to do with the former Hughes Stadium land in Fort Collins, a couple of ideas for the site have been casting a long shadow.
A bike park and a natural area have each been in the public spotlight due to differing opinions about what voters envisioned when they required the city to purchase the site and rezone it as public open lands.
But a civic assembly convened by the city of Fort Collins is tasked with exploring those and other ideas that community members have flagged. And earlier this month, those delegates took a closer look at five specific ideas.
They heard from nine different presenters, most of whom had some vision of how the land should be used.
Here are 5 proposals for the old Hughes Stadium that a civic assembly is exploring
Fort Collins Coloradoan
0:08
1:06
- The former Hughes Stadium site in Fort Collins is being considered for various projects, including a wildlife center, a cultural gathering place for the Native community, a trails park, a bike park and a protected natural area.
- A civic assembly is exploring these proposals, with some groups advocating for a combination of uses.
- Funding for any project is yet to be identified, though some groups have expressed willingness to fundraise.
Corrections & Clarifications: This story has been corrected to reflect that the city is not required to own the former Hughes Stadium land. A proposed ballot measure would require the city to retain ownership and not lease or convey the property to another party.
In the conversation around what to do with the former Hughes Stadium land in Fort Collins, a couple of ideas for the site have been casting a long shadow.
A bike park and a natural area have each been in the public spotlight due to differing opinions about what voters envisioned when they required the city to purchase the site and rezone it as public open lands.
But a civic assembly convened by the city of Fort Collins is tasked with exploring those and other ideas that community members have flagged. And earlier this month, those delegates took a closer look at five specific ideas.
They heard from nine different presenters, most of whom had some vision of how the land should be used.
Next month, the delegates will meet again and can ask to hear from additional groups or call back any of them to get more information.
While there are several ideas circulating, the city hasn’t identified funding for any project on the site. Some of the groups who presented said they’d contribute to fundraising and restoration work.
Read on to learn more about five different projects proposed for the 164-acre site that the civic assembly has explored so far.
A wildlife rehabilitation center
A wildlife rehabilitation, nature and education center on the site would be a collaboration between Rocky Mountain Raptor Program and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, along with Audubon Rockies, to connect the community with nature and to demonstrate their missions.
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program has been in Fort Collins for 38 years. From its Vine Drive location, it rescues and rehabilitates raptors — 8,000 so far.
The Bird Conservancy’s mission is to conserve birds and their habitats.
The Hughes site is located within an important corridor for birds that spans from Bellvue to Boulder and supports 70 species of birds, said Tammy VerCauteren, executive director of the Bird Conservancy.
A banding station on the neighboring Pineridge Natural Area shows it is one of most species-rich natural spaces in the city, she said. There, bird species from Mexico and Central America have been tagged on their journeys, for breeding or simply to pass through.
Carin Avila, executive director of Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, explained to the civic assembly what a new facility might look like.
“The center will echo the beauty of the area and the geological hogback formations that make the foothills so captivating,” Avila said. “It will serve as a peaceful place for reflection and to enjoy sounds of nature.”
Buildings would be nestled behind pine trees and be designed to harmonize with land. It could incorporate solar power collection and provide demonstration gardens to show how to create backyard habitats for birds.
While formal designs have not been drawn up, the center would aim to stay within about 5 acres, Avila said, and an illustration showed the facility positioned on the northeast portion of the land.
This asset would be available to people of all ages and supports complementary uses on the rest of the site, Avila said, for things like a natural area, biking and hiking.
Collectively, the nonprofits would help rehabilitate the land, which needs significant restoration, they said.
The soil has been compacted, and invasive species are on the site, VerCauteren said.
heard two different presentations advocating for Indigenous interests: Ron Hall with the First People’s Community Center and Stephanie Watson Lewis with BIPOC Alliance.
The First People’s Community Center is a nonprofit established last year, focused on serving the needs of Native people living in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado.
The Native population in the area is growing, Hall said.
As it does, First People’s Community Group is working with the city to identify cultural spaces and medicinal plants, he said.
His group would like a natural space for powwows and ceremonies with a light footprint. Hall said a permanent structure isn’t needed, but a temporary arbor, electricity for audio-visual equipment, seating, parking and restrooms are desired.
He said that could be done with 15 acres.
Lewis said the land is vital for revitalizing traditions, languages and practices and for ensuring they thrive for generations to come.
Not all ceremonies can be done in the urban context of the Hughes site, Hall said, but it would be a wonderful space for the more social events.
“When an event happens, word travels,” Hall said, noting his group is connected with communities in Denver, the Northern Arapaho tribe and the Cheyenne tribe.
“They’re really interested in anything that we’re doing here,” Hall said.
“We’re hoping to coordinate with those other groups that are out there … not just with the Native American community, but with the larger community as well,” Hall told the delegates.
Collaboration is key, both Hall and Lewis said.
The Indigenous community wants to be active in understanding what the overall community would like on the land, Lewis said.
Hall said he was intrigued by the wildlife center presentation and believes the different groups can learn from each other.
The former stadium site can serve as a lesson to all that land can recover and reestablish itself with native plants, animals and “things that were meant to be there,” Hall said.
What about returning the land to Indigenous people?
Hall did not explicitly request that the land be acquired by Indigenous groups.
But Lewis said to restore justice, 100% of the land should be returned to Indigenous people, and that is what the BIPOC Alliance is asking for.
Doing so would address historical justice and right the wrongs of the past, she said.
Lewis said when she asked Native people how much of the land they wanted returned, the answer she heard was no less than 40%.
When asked whether decision-making power over the land would be adequate, Lewis said ownership is not essential as long as Native people have autonomy over the land they use for cultural practices.
(A proposed ballot measure, if it made it onto the ballot and were passed, would require the city to keep the land and not sell or lease it.)
For example, the community wants to be active in choosing the part of the land they keep.
“We talked about being able to plant their medicine, to have ceremony on the property, being able to hold sweat lodges on the property,” Lewis said.
Long before Hughes was built, the site was part of the ancestral territory of the Ute, Lakota, Arapaho, Cheyenne and others, Lewis said. It was used for sustainability, ceremonies and community life.
“The land holds deep significance. It’s not just a piece of property but it’s a symbol of the rich culture and heritage of Indigenous people who were the original stewards of the land,” Lewis said.
Colonization and land grants stripped the people of their right to connect with their heritage, Lewis said, and the land grant designation did not include compensation or an acknowledgement of what was taken.
“Once you admit something is stolen, shouldn’t you return it?” Lewis said.
Returning the land is tangible way to address generational trauma caused by colonization and moves beyond the symbolic gesture of land acknowledgment statements, Lewis said.
recreation, nature and each other. It could also be used for youth activities.
A cross-country running course could be used for high school meets, and the trails could serve adaptive athletes, too.
This vision includes gathering spaces and parklets, the disc golf course, a playground and nature play zones, restrooms, water stations, parking, native landscaping and environmental education signage.
“It doesn’t have to be a single purpose. It could be multiuse,” McCullough said. “I loved our previous presenters and your ideas. I hope during my presentation you can kind of envision what they’ve mentioned and kind of insert it into my presentation.”
Specifically, McCullough named the wildlife and education center, bike park and Indigenous gathering spaces. And he said it would be a gateway to the nearby natural areas.
The running club, with 1,100 members, doesn’t have a funding plan but could fundraise, he said.
A bike park
The Fort Collins Bike Park Collective and Overland Mountain Bike Association have proposed a multiuse park and open space, including a bike park.
Multiple uses of the site would make it an inclusive space for all to use in some way, said Kevin Krause, a member of the bike park collective.
Fort Collins is a nationally recognized bike community and there is strong local support for a bike park, Krause said.
A bike park on up to 25% of the 164 acres could offer skills features and trails for people of all ages and abilities who use different types of equipment, Krause said.
A schematic presented to the civic assembly showed placement on the north side of the parcel, stretching from Overland Trail on the east to the Maxwell Natural Area on the west. This would be partially on the old footprint of the stadium, which was on the northwest corner of the plot.
Presenters said they are open to other placement.
The park could include pump tracks, tot tracks, kid-friendly features, dirt jumps and more. Krause mentioned amenities like bathrooms and shade areas but said there are no “large-scale building needs.”
The land is ideal because of its sloping topography, which is not easy to find in other locations, Krause said.
Hours of operation would be in the daytime only, with no artificial lighting needed.
Proponents believe a bike park can co-exist with a natural area in the same way parks and natural areas coexist elsewhere in the city.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for other uses that you’re hearing about and other needs in the community,” Krause said.
He said bike parks aren’t highly developed spaces and include naturalized landscapes, featuring grasses and native plants.
Krause said bike parks are considered low-impact uses in other communities.
A bike park would not negatively impact the land because it historically it was a developed site with heavy impacts, he said.
A protected natural area
PATHS wants to see all of the land become a protected natural area.
And it could still accommodate many different activities, PATHS organizer Melissa Rosas said, including Indigenous cultural ceremonies, walking, running, hiking, biking, sledding, disc golf, educational stations and releasing rehabilitated wildlife.
“A natural area is the most unifying and inclusive use for this parcel,” Rosas said, and it would serve the diverse needs of the community “no matter their socioeconomic background, their health status or their age. It would also be accessible to those who have mobility (issues) and disabilities.”
So what exactly defines a natural area?
In Fort Collins, it’s specifically designated land managed by the city and funded by the city’s Natural Areas Department.
The department’s mission is to conserve and enhance lands that have natural resource, agricultural, and scenic values, according to the city’s website. They often have historical and cultural significance.
Natural areas preserve wildlife habitat and native plants, and include trails and educational offerings. Some natural areas have buildings on them.
There are more than 50 natural areas today.
“There’s no other department in the city structure that has worked so closely with Indigenous groups and are really trying to do right by them,” PATHS presenter Eliza Lopez said.
As a city natural area, the Hughes site could receive a portion of the millions in annual funding the city gets from a sales tax dedicated to purchasing and protecting open lands.
PATHS doesn’t want to see a bike park on the site. Their vision for the land is minimum human impact, with low-intensity uses only, Rosas said.
The Hughes land is adjacent to two existing natural areas, Maxwell and Pineridge, and offers continuity for wildlife migrating through the area, she said.
PATHS organizers told the assembly they don’t believe a bike park is low-impact and noted the city has categorized it as having higher impact.
A place for environmental and agricultural sustainability practices
One idea that was identified in public outreach for the assembly was a focus on environmental and agricultural sustainability. This could include solar panels, community gardens and sustainable urban agriculture.
Projects in this realm could expand community gardening and farming, address food scarcity, provide education, address climate change and enhance sustainability and disaster preparedness, according to an analysis presented by Katie Knobloch with CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation, which conducted that outreach.
She also shared concerns around these activities at the Hughes site: that solar panels or other structures could disrupt the natural beauty and these utilitarian uses might be better suited for a different site.
The civic assembly didn’t explore this as a single project, but some elements of this idea were mentioned in the wildlife center vision.
Civic assembly gets additional advice
The delegates also heard from two presenters who said they weren’t aligned with any particular idea but had insights to offer.
Ross Cunniff, chair of Preserve Fort Collins, said the board of that advocacy group hasn’t taken a position on any use for the site, but he pointed out language in the ballot measure that PATHS is also highlighting because they say it shows the intent that the land become a natural area.More: PATHS circulates petitions to put Hughes land on the ballot again
Preserve Fort Collins’ mission is to preserve a high quality of life for Fort Collins residents and to advocate for low-density and low-intensity, Cunniff said.
“The character of Fort Collins is not the character of a big city,” he said. “We shouldn’t be pursuing big city amenities and big city character. Instead, let Fort Collins be what Fort Collins is.”
That means sports venues and amusement-park style amenities are probably not compatible with the city’s character or the intent of the ballot question, Cunniff said.
He also said it was clear the intent of the 2021 ballot measure was not to sell or swap the land, but that it should be owned by city.
Cunniff warned the delegates to “take your time, tell council not to be in a hurry and try to pick something that will be a benefit forever, not something that might be the current fad or fashion of the day.”
Becca Windell, a doctoral student and biologist at Warner College of Natural Resources at CSU, told the panel that when looking at wildlife and people at Hughes, a plan for the site should:
- Minimize disturbances to restored areas in order to support wildlife.
- Advocate for multiple, shared uses for people and wildlife.
- Strengthen connection and access to outdoors and nature.
- Work with natural areas managers in city.
In response to a question asking whether restoration activities would be harmed by other facilities on site, she said it seemed doable as long as the configuration is well-planned, noting the land is already impacted by being close to Overland Trail.
With the compaction of the soil, it’s unclear what kind of wildlife species might return, Windell said, but it would probably be similar to species found on the adjacent Maxwell area.
Read the full article here.
