High Note Park
Designing Colorado’s Next Signature Public Space
The City of Lone Tree and South Suburban Parks and Recreation are working collaboratively to build Lone Tree’s first and only regional park. High Note Park, previously known as Lone Tree Regional Park, will be located along Happy Canyon Creek near I-25 and RidgeGate Parkway.
The 80-acre park has long been planned for the area and was included in the vision that Lone Tree residents voted for when the land was annexed into the City in 2000. With surrounding development now underway, the time has come to construct phase one of this generational project.
The future park will be located near I-25 and RidgeGate Parkway
Project Partners
Phase 1 Funding Stack
Funding for the first phase of the of the project was secured in September 2025, totaling approximately $31 million. Funding partners include:
- $13 million from South Suburban Parks and Recreation
- $9 million from the City of Lone Tree
- $7.5 million from Douglas County
- $1 million from the Southeast Metropolitan Improvement District (SPIMD)
- $580k from Great Outdoors Colorado (GoCo)
Funding Future Phases
This long-term project will unfold in stages as funding becomes available. Funding for future phases has not been identified. At this time, further buildout will track with tax base growth in RidgeGate East from new development, including the multi decade development of the Lone Tree City Center.
The Overall Site Plan
The overall site plan will guide development of the park as funding becomes available. The site plan was selected because of its alignment with the community’s input, strong connectivity within and outside the park, and for using creative design approaches to address challenging site conditions.
Key achievements of the overall site plan include:
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- Incorporation of signature elements not currently found in the area, including a festival terrace, amphitheater, and signature accessible playground.
- Developing a unique promenade known as The Braid- a unifying thread that runs the length of the park. The Braid is an interwoven promenade of paths that all the programming elements align across. It also provides a linear connection between the north and south side of the park which is bisected by a future road.
- Accommodating a diverse range of both passive and active recreation opportunities.
- Creatively embracing the natural grade of the site to minimize the use of retaining walls and create more natural slopes that better blend into the natural landscape.
The selected concept is shown below. This is an updated concept plan completed in early 2025 that incorporates community input received after the initial concept plan was developed in 2021 and again in 2024.
Phase 1 Plan
The first phase focuses on meeting immediate community needs and bringing in amenities that don’t yet exist in the area. Phase 1 alone will be the largest park in Lone Tree.
Design work for Phase 1 is underway. Groundbreaking is expected in late spring 2026, with an anticipated opening in late summer 2027.
Phase 1 will include:
- Two lit synthetic multipurpose fields
- A playground
- The new Happy Canyon Trail with connections to Schweiger Ranch and the East West Trail
- Community gathering spaces
- A play water feature
- A 200-seat beer garden
- A food truck area
- A dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs
- A parking lot
Donation, Sponsorship, and Business Opportunities
In addition to local government funds and grant opportunities, community donors, sponsors, and businesses will be necessary to bring this project to life.
Business Opportunities
In the coming months, a simple Request for Information (RFI) will be issued to gauge business interest in supporting the park. While the main focus is in finding the right restaurant partner to enter a ground lease for the restaurant pad, other business ideas (with a focus on food and beverage) are encouraged to be submitted.
Donations & Sponsorships
In the coming months, donor information packets and information will become available. The project will consider both corporate and individual donors.
Top Priorities for Funding
The top priorities for donations, sponsorships, and business partnership include:
- Funding the signature playground
- Funding the amphitheater stage structure
- Finding the right restaurant partner
- Funding the overlook hill, including challenge steps and signature sculpture
- Funding activity “rooms” along The Braid Promenade
- Funding Athletic Fields
- Funding public art throughout the park
Ready to reach out?
Contact Austin Good, Assistant City Manager at austin.good@cityoflonetree.com
Only relevant outreach will be responded to, requests from salespeople will not be returned.
Prime Location at I-25 and RidgeGate Parkway
High Note Park will be located at a prime location, with easy access to Denver and Colorado Springs. The park will also be connected to the Denver Metro from RidgeGate Station, with trains running to Union Station (E Line) and into Aurora (R Line).
Catalyst for the Lone Tree City Center
High Note Regional Park will be a catalyst for the Lone Tree City Center, a coming 50-block urban center and downtown for the south metro area. The City Center will contribute millions in tax revenue each year to support public services. The park will also benefit from the infrastructure improvements being made to support the millions of visitors that will come to the area.
Park Development Process
The regional park’s master planning effort began in 2020 after Shea Homes began planning a new neighborhood in RidgeGate’s Southwest Village, now known as Lyric.
Planning the regional park concurrently with the neighborhood development and other projects in the area has allowed for better connectivity, intentional topographic design, and proactive infrastructure development. It also lets future residents know what the plans for the area are before buying property.
- 2000: Lone Tree residents vote to annex the RidgeGate area, including the vision for a future regional park and adjacent City Center.
- 2019: Shea Homes began planning the Southwest Village neighborhood (now known as Lyric).
- 2020: Lone Tree and South Suburban began initial study and planning efforts for the regional park.
- 2021: Public input and concept development.
- 2022: Concept selection & design development.
- 2022-2024: Identify funding partners
- 2024: Artaic Group Hired as Project Manager and ECI Hired as Contractor
- 2024: OJB Hired As Project Landscape Architect
- 2024: Advance Design & Determine Phase One
- 2024: Advance Design & Determine Phase One
- 2026: Phase 1 Groundbreaking
- 2027: Open Phase One to the Public
Community Vision
The regional park will be a destination park, creating a new central gathering place in north-central Douglas County.
As part of the park’s initial visioning process, the following goals were identified:
- Signature Park – Create a signature regional park for everyone, incorporating principles identified in the SSPRD Master Plan: Quality First, Enrich Wellness, Connect to Nature, and Lead Sustainability
- Access for All to the Natural Environment – Offer all members of the community access to the unique natural environment, especially the creek and related water features
- Riparian Habitat – Protect and enhance a diverse riparian habitat
- Environmentally-friendly Stormwater Management – Design a park that incorporates state-of-the-art floodplain and storm water management
- Active & Passive Recreation – Accommodate the active recreation demands of a growing community of people of all ages and abilities with synthetic multi-purpose fields, sports courts, picnic areas, gathering places, trails, etc.
- Connections – Connect the regional park to the historic Schweiger Ranch, Bluffs open space, Reuter-Hess Reservoir, and the regional trail network, including the Cherry Creek system and surrounding communities
- Community Events – Accommodate vibrant community events throughout the year
- Partnering – Identify opportunities and programs to partner with public, private, and non-profit organizations to enhance access to everyone in the community
- Transit Accessible – Take advantage of unparalleled transit access with RTD’s RidgeGate Station nearby
When will the park be built?
The City and South Suburban are currently finalizing funding agreements to advance the project to construction, including additional funding partners and grant opportunities. The project is anticipated to break ground in late spring 2026 with a first phase anticipated to open to the public in 2027.
How much will the park cost?
This park is a generational project that will be built in phases as funding becomes available. The project’s first phase will build approximately one third of the park's footprint. Total funding for the first phase is $32 million, including $13 million from South Suburban, $9 million from the City of Lone Tree, $7.5 million from Douglas County, $1 million from the Southeast Public Metropolitan Improvement District, and $580k from Great Outdoors Colorado (GoCo).
Public Input
A survey of community members in the spring of 2021 guided development of the concept plan. Since then, the project has been presented to community groups and at open houses, including public meetings for the Lone Tree Elevated Comprehensive Plan update.
In addition, the project was presented to a number of citizen lead advisory groups for input, including Lone Tree’s Recreation Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, and Arts Commission and Douglas County’s Parks Advisory Committee and Open Space Advisory Committee.
The latest update to the concept plan in spring 2024 incorporated feedback received after the initial concept plan was developed.
RidgeGate East South Suburban Master Plan Addendum
In addition to public outreach specific to the regional park, the planning work has considered the public outreach already completed for the addendum to South Suburban’s Master Plan outlining priorities specific to RidgeGate East, including the regional park site. This public engagement effort looked at the parks system in RidgeGate East as a whole, connected system. The 2018 addendum can be viewed here.
Signage at the regional park site gets the word out to people buying housing near the park so they know what they are moving in next to.
Concurrent Projects
Happy Canyon Creek Rehabilitation
Lead by the Mile High Flood District and Rampart Range Metro District, Happy Canyon Creek is being rehabilitated and stabilized. A portion of the project runs through the regional park.
Lyric at RidgeGate
Lyric, a new neighborhood development by Shea Homes, is currently under development in RidgeGate's Southwest Village. The neighborhood borders the regional park.
Development around RidgeGate Station
New homes and mixed-use development around RidgeGate Station, including Lone Tree's first affordable housing community, have just opened or are under construction.
Infrastructure Development
Infrastructure near and around the site is activley under construction or in planning stages, including new streets, streetscaping, water, electric, stormwater and more.
Happy Canyon Trail
Rampart Range Metro District and the Mile High Flood District are already constructing the Happy Canyon Trail, a new trail that will connect Douglas County’s East/West Trail up on the bluffs, Schweiger Ranch, and the future Regional Park. The trail will generally run north-to-south, going under RidgeGate Parkway and eventually connecting to Lincoln Avenue.
The trail will connect to other trails in the RidgeGate area and eventually connect to the Lone Tree City Center.
- What do you think?
Do you have any questions or thoughts about this project? Let us know using our feedback form.
Would you like your group to receive a presentation about this project? Email Austin Good at austin.good@cityoflonetree.com