Voters restrict fence heights to stop a TopGolf

By Jasmine Ying

The city of Timnath, near Fort Collins, this summer prevented a TopGolf facility from being built along Interstate 25 in their town in a unique way.

When developers proposed building a TopGolf the city council put the issue before voters. Rather than try to change the zoning of the land, the council put a question up for a city-wide vote in June: should the city permit fences taller than 65 feet?

The argument against the project is that TopGolf nets top out at around 175 feet tall and can endanger wildlife in the area. Opponents of the project reached out to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency (CPW), which researched the issue and wrote a report that supported their concerns.

The site where TopGolf was planning to build is considered a High Priority Habitat by the CPW. It has nesting sites for bald eagles and rivers, creeks, and streams for fish and water life that require conservation in Colorado.