Why Is Fort Collins Voting on the Hughes Stadium Land Again?

This November, Fort Collins voters will have another opportunity to vote on what the City should do with the former Hughes Stadium land - and your vote is crucial. IndivisibleNOCO urges all voters to vote YES for Ballot Question 2H and to vote NO for Ballot Question 303.

2H and 303 are opposite/competing sides of the same issue. This article explains the issue and clarifies misinformation that has been circulating.

What is 2H?

 2H may appear on the ballot as 2H City Referred Ballot Question - Civic Assembly Recommendation. A YES for 2H supports what almost 70% of registered voters Fort Collins approved in 2021: a multi-use space held for "parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education.” Following voters’ wishes, the City rezoned Hughes as Public Open Lands, acquired the site for $12.7M in 2023, and held a Civic Assembly process in 2025 to learn from the people of Fort Collins what we want this site to be. You can view the report here.

 The collective wishes of the people of Fort Collins, also approved by City Council, were a multi-use space.

 This multi-use space - what voters broadly asked for in 2021 and what the Civic Assembly further specified in 2025, and what a YES vote for 2H will provide - is defined as:

• requiring multi-use development and management for the approximately 165-acre Hughes Site;

• requiring the City to consult with Native American tribes and the Indigenous community throughout the process;

• requiring site plans to feature native and xeric vegetation and a naturalistic architectural palette, and include the following new amenities for the Hughes Site:

  • City natural area, up to 60 acres;

  • dedicated space and facilities for environmental education and wildlife conservation, to include wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, up to 30 acres;

  • a trail system throughout the site connected to nearby City natural areas and parks;

  • a City park with a community bike park up to 35 acres, a community gathering area and appropriate related facilities;

• may include existing uses, such as disc golf and winter sledding; and

• requiring the City to manage these uses over time as planning, design and funding allow, in accordance with regular City planning and review processes, and consistent with the Public Open Lands zoning.

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What is Question 303?

A small faction of the Fort Collins community is dissatisfied with voters’ wishes in 2021 and the outcome of the 2025 Civic Assembly. Through various methods, this faction secured enough signatures to have Question 303 on the ballot. Indivisible urges you to vote NO on Question 303.

 Question 303 may appear on the ballot as 303 Proposed Citizen-Initiated Ordinance - Hughes Stadium Property. Language also used for this ballot issue includes “Making the Hughes Site a 100% Natural Area.” Question 303 would require that the full 165-acre parcel of land be rezoned and used 100% as a City Natural Area—not as Public Open Lands.

 Question 303 would severely restrict use and access to this property.

 Approval of Question 303 would likely remove existing disc golf and winter sledding, as these uses are not compliant with current Natural Area policies. Question 2H would permit these uses to stay.

 Approval of Question 303 would place the full funding burden of acquiring and maintaining this property on Natural Areas, “eliminating” or “severely restricting” Natural Areas’ ability to acquire and maintain properties for years to come. In contrast, 2H would share costs across City departments and partners, ensuring that Natural Areas can steward existing and new properties.

Approval of Question 303 would generate further cost burden (and long-term reduction of services) for Natural Areas, because significant portions of the 165-acre parcel are degraded and would require extensive costly restoration to reach “Natural Area” status. 2H would use the more degraded areas for an education center and bike park, reducing costs and increasing accessibility.

 Question 303 disregards Fort Collins voters’ wishes in 2021, the Civic Assembly recommendations in 2025, City Council’s approval in 2025, and the potential of modeling a fair, equitable, democratic decision-making process.

Fact Checking the Rumors

Supporters of Question 303 have used misinformation to secure signatures and will continue to do so as we approach the November election. What might you have heard?

CLAIM: The City wants to turn the property into one big bike park.

FACT: Voters, the Civic Assembly, and City Council, as represented in 2H, seek a City park of 35 total acres—just 21.2% of the total property space—that will include a bike park together with disc golf, winter sledding, and community gathering areas.

CLAIM: Hughes is already a natural space; we want to keep it natural.

FACT: The property housed a major stadium, opened in 1968 and closed in 2017. Studies have shown areas of good soil/plant health but significant areas of poor soil/plant health. Vegetation is a mix of native and invasive species, with compacted soil areas as well. Hughes has not been a “natural” space since pre-1968.

In summary, voting YES for 2H and NO for 303 gives our collective voice the strongest chance of being heard. If both ballot measures get a YES of over 50% of the vote, the one with the most YES votes will win. If neither get over 50%, the City Council recommendation (multi-use, in alignment with 2H) will be enacted. Show your support for our community’s wishes by voting YES for 2H and NO for 303.

Note: You will also see Question 302 on the November ballot. Question 302 asks voters to approve an extension of the Natural Areas Tax. Approval means that our existing quarter-cent tax ($0.025/$1.00) supporting Natural Areas is extended from its current expiration at the end of 2030 onward, in perpetuity. Natural Areas is a widely beloved City department and service to the people of Fort Collins, and extending this tax will ensure their continued funding. Question 302 is an independent issue, so IndivisibleNOCO urges you to vote according to your and our community’s priorities.

Learn More:

• City of Fort Collins: What’s on the Ballot? (https://www.fcgov.com/elections/on-the-ballot)

• Hughes for Everyone (https://hughesforeveryone.com/

• The Coloradoan: The Cost of a Hughes natural area vs multiuse site. What we know.

• IndivisibleNOCO response to reader feedback on our voting recommendation.