The Hughes Stadium property has remained an intricate controversy for over a decade, with many potential uses being pitched since its demolition in 2018. The 2025 ballot may bring a resolution for the approximately 165 acres of stagnant land.
Ballot Question 2H will detail a multiuse solution brought by the 2025 Hughes Civic Assembly. The City of Fort Collins delegated a group of randomly selected Fort Collins residents to the task in order to find a productive and rational plan for the currently stagnant property.
After much deliberation, the assembly decided on a multiuse space that, according to Katie Knobloch, associate director of Colorado State University’s Center for Public Deliberation, will keep the existing sledding hill and disc golf course while adding new amenities such as a bike park — provided it passes the necessary health requirements.
“I’m interested to see what the voters do. I think we are really fortunate to live in a community that takes democracy seriously.” -Katie Knobloch, CSU Center for Public Deliberation
With ballot questions regarding Hughes Stadium being a hot topic issue in Fort Collins, the city has made efforts to disperse voters’ options and information even further, Knobloch said.
“I’m interested to see what the voters do,” Knobloch said. “I think we are really fortunate to live in a community that takes democracy seriously.”
Alternatively, the question competing with 2H will be Ballot Question 303. Question 303 proposes turning the Hughes Stadium property into a city-managed natural area to be used as an open space. Kelly Ohlson, a Fort Collins City Council member and council liaison for the Land Conservation and Stewardship Board, said he’s very aware of the issue.
“They think when they say ‘natural’ it means nothing’s allowed, but this is far from the truth,” Ohlson said.
Regardless of which issue passes, the road to implementing either solution will not be a quick one.
“I think it’ll be a one- to three-year process,” Ohlson said. “Hopefully there’ll be enough room there. They’re going to have to get all the parties to the table.”
Both questions have the ability to pass, and there’s a good chance that both will, Kelly said. It is vital to note that in the case of both questions passing, the decision will land on the ballot question that holds the most votes overall.
Even in the case of passing Ballot Question 303, there will be much work required to turn it into a safe, open space. The city would have to see to it that invasive species and infrastructure are removed from the property as it currently stands, but it would largely look the same. In the case of passing the multiuse Ballot Question 2H, it may take just as long, if not longer, to implement new amenities.
One of the most important requirements of 2H is the continuous consultation between the city and local Indigenous populations, who have strongly voiced their desire to be included in the decisions made on the land. The Hughes Stadium property was originally occupied by the Lakota, Ute, Arapahoe and Cheyenne tribes until the Morrill Act delegated its use to be sold by the states to fund its land-grant endowment.
The intricacies and varying opinions on what to do with the land have been a long journey of debate.
“At this point, my job is done,” Ohlson said. “I’m going to let the voters decide.”
Reach Beck Olson at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
