Fort Collins residents debate possible addition of bike park at former Colorado State University stadium location

Years after Colorado State University demolished Hughes Stadium and sold the property to the City of Fort Collins, many residents in the city are now being surveyed on what the future of the property may look like.

The city has already determined the land will not be developed into commercial or residential projects. In 2021 residents voted to preserve the land for "...parks, recreation, open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and restoration."

However, now there is a conversation around how residents want recreation to fit into the property.

The land is already open for people to bike, hike, sled and jog through. There is a disc golf course. However, hundreds of Fort Collins residents would like to see an outdoor bike park added to a portion of the property.

"It is not just a bike park, it is a recreational community hub," said Taylor Calmus, a Fort Collins resident and member of the Fort Collins Bike Park Collective.

The collective was created by Fort Collins residents who want to see the city, which is already known for its cycling roots, build a bike park that is comparable to larger ones in cities like Boulder.

Calmus said the group envisions a portion of the former Hughes property to be developed into a bike park while the rest of the remaining acreage can remain for open space and other activities. His team held an information meeting at New Belgium Brewery recently to discuss how the community can help engage in the process.

"The amount of people that showed up tonight underscores why this community needs a bike park," Calmus said. "It is a long time coming. Some people in this community have been pushing for a bike park or over 10 years."

The City of Fort Collins is now conducting a feasibility study into the possibility of a bike park and looking into how the price and size of a project would impact the community. They are also offering an online survey for Fort Collins residents to weigh in on the proposal. From there, a civic assembly of 20 guides will be selected to review the survey and make a suggestion to the city for next steps.

Also engaging in the survey is the group known as "Planning Action to Transform Hughes Sustainably," or PATHS.

"We represent a lot of members of the community," said Melissa Rosas, a PATHS volunteer.

The group would like to see the property remain as-is, claiming the initial measure's reference to "recreation" was only added as a way to keep the ability for people to play disc golf or ride the sledding hill. PATHS did not believe the community meant for recreation to include a bike park. 

"I think people do enjoy being outdoors," said Mary Alice Grant, a PATHS volunteer.

However, both Grant and Rosas said they felt the property should be preserved as low impact, and they felt the construction of a bike park would not be low impact.

"Low impact are things like walking, hiking, the sled hill, frisbee disc golf. Those are the things people envisioned," Rosas said.

Those with PATHS said they felt the property was more equitable as-is, saying some people do not have the financial ability to purchase bikes.

While PATHS does not want a bike park added to the property, Calmus said he believed there was a way for both organizations to get what they would like out of the property while also making sure the community had a place to gather and recreate.

Those with the collective said they would want the bike park to be created for people of all abilities and backgrounds to be able to explore cycling.

"Our vision for Hughes is inclusivity, it is all forms of recreation all together in one to form one community hub where anybody in this city can come out and have a good time," Calmus said.