Growing Colorado community breaks ground on major park

Lone Tree is building what will be its biggest park near Interstate 25 and RidgeGate Parkway.

The city, in the southern portion of the Denver metro area, is over 10 times bigger today than it was 20 years ago, and more growth is on the way.

On Wednesday, city officials and construction crews broke ground on High Note Park.

The long-term vision for High Note includes an amphitheater and regional promenade, not to mention ballfields, a dog park, and a beer garden.

It's an idea that's been 25 years in the making. City officials say they're not just breaking ground on a park, but on Lone Tree's future.

"We've been looking forward to this for so long," said Bernie Sauer, a dad in the Lyric neighborhood.

There's a lot to be excited about in Lone Tree.

"Going down the slides," Sauer's 5-year-old daughter said.

"Going down the slides too!" Sauer's 3-year-old daughter agreed.

"Today is a monumental day in the city of Lone Tree," Lone Tree Mayor Marissa Harmon said. "This place will come alive in just over a year, and one thing we know for sure is that High Note Park will be a community gathering space for generations to come."

As phase 1 construction breaks ground on High Note Park, a large regional amenity in the Lyric neighborhood, which is still under construction itself. Not far away, a new elementary school is under construction in the neighborhood.

"For two years, we've literally lived with construction around us," said Sauer's wife, Kenzie Weed. "Every time we drive by where you get, like, a view of the entire neighborhood, it's insane how much it's grown."

Lyric families like theirs have been waiting for the park since they moved in.

"We're excited to see all the stuff that we moved here for finally starting to happen," said Weed. "With two young kids, it was really cool to have this be something to kind of look forward to and have someday."

High Note Park is expected to connect to regional transportation via the RidgeGate RTD station, and spur development in the future Lone Tree City Center.

"Soccer fields, places, swings, hills, places to climb, a dog park — yeah, it's pretty big. It's awesome," said Sauer.

Phase 1 alone will cost $31 million and include a playground, lit fields, a regional trail, a dog park, play water feature, and a beer garden to be operated by Lone Tree Brewing Company.

"They're gonna build us out kind of a shipping container, a converted shipping container that's gonna serve the beer out of picnic tables, support, you know, all of the amenities in the park. So we're gonna supply our beer from our production facility, so really looking forward to it," said Jerry Siote, director of operations with Lone Tree Brewing Company.

"Just a lot of community building," Weed said.

For this family, the park's groundbreaking means watching their community take shape.

"This is just the first step. Can't wait to see it blossom," Sauer said.

Phase 1 is expected to be completed around fall 2027. We'll learn more about the park's future phases as funding for them becomes available.

The park is a collaboration of many regional partners. RidgeGate Investments donated land for the park. Phase 1 funding breakdown is as follows:

• $13 million from the South Suburban Park and Recreation District
• $9 million from the City of Lone Tree
• $7.5 million from Douglas County
• $1 million from the Southeast Public Improvement Metropolitan District (SPIMD)/Denver South
• $580,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado