Golf-focused entertainment outfit Topgolf has abandoned a plan to open its second Colorado location at the southeast corner of Interstate 25 and 136th Avenue in Thornton, after a neighbor who lives near the site filed a second lawsuit against the city over the project.
Thornton spokesman Todd Barnes said the risk of dealing with ongoing litigation at the site “was too great” for the Dallas-based company.
A Topgolf spokeswoman, Morgan Wallace, said the company may not be altogether done with Thornton even if it is no longer considering the location near the Rolling Hills neighborhood near I-25.
“We are still evaluating our options and are excited to bring Topgolf to the community in the future,” she wrote in an email Thursday.
The lawsuit was brought by Lotte Radoor, a resident of nearby Rolling Hills, who claimed that the proposed facility “does not promote health, safety and general welfare of the residents.”
She said the 65,000-square-foot Topgolf complex with 102-bay driving range and restaurant and rooftop terrace would diminish property values in her neighborhood, trigger massive traffic headaches and pose a threat to wildlife.
The company first identified the Rolling Hills site several years ago and got the city’s blessing — along with a $3.75 million incentive package — to go ahead with its plans in August 2016. But that decision was soon challenged by Radoor in a lawsuit she filed against Thornton, alleging the land wasn’t appropriately zoned for the project.
A judge agreed with Radoor this past summer, claiming the city failed to follow its own zoning laws when it granted Topgolf a permit. That led Thornton leaders in September to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and its zoning code to allow “commercial amusement — outside uses” at the site.
But Radoor’s second suit, field in October, was the last straw for Topgolf at that location, Barnes said. He is still hopeful the company won’t give up on Thornton altogether, though it could look at viable parcels of land in adjoining Westminster and Broomfield.
“We are always hoping to bring this type of entertainment amenity to our residents,” Barnes said.
Topgolf opened its first Colorado location in Centennial in 2015.