The Historic Park Survey Asks Highlands Ranch What It Would Pay For

Cattle still graze the 197 acres around the Highlands Ranch Mansion. Meanwhile, the Highlands Ranch Metro District's online survey, open through Wednesday, Oct. 28, asks residents how likely their households are to sign up for a dozen fee-based programs on that land. The list includes youth day camps, farm-to-table experiences, barn rentals and stargazing. The survey's questions show how the district is thinking about the park. It is weighing what people would enjoy, and it is also asking which of those things people would pay for.

A working pasture with a windmill on the hill

Shea Homes conveyed about 197 acres of ranchland to the Metro District on April 30, 2026. That brought Historic Park to almost 250 acres. The land surrounds the Mansion at 9950 E. Gateway Drive to the south and east. It is roughly bordered by E. Gateway Drive, E. Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Summit View Parkway and S. Ranch Road/Sterling Drive.

Not much has changed on the ground yet. Shea Homes leased the property to Clough Cattle & Fence Company for several years, and the Metro District's Historic Park page says the district will keep leasing it to Clough Cattle until it is ready to make improvements. The district's Fall 2026 Messenger describes the park as opening to the public "in coming years."

The buildings on the property go back a long way. According to the district's Sept. 29 board packet, Frank Kistler turned the property into the Diamond K Ranch and built the agricultural buildings that still stand. The district's inventory includes:

• The historic windmill on the elevated hill south of the Mansion
• Two silos and four barns
• A bunkhouse and two cottages
• A blacksmith shop
• A laundry and power plant building
• Stables and sheds

Whether any of these buildings reopen depends on more than history. The district says structures will be renovated "to the extent structures are safe, have a defined purpose, and it is financially feasible." Each building needs a defined purpose to earn a renovation, and that is where the survey comes in.

What residents asked for this summer

The district held two neighborhood meetings in June for residents near the property. It then held three communitywide meetings in June, July and August at the Highlands Ranch Senior Center, 200 E. Highlands Ranch Parkway. According to the Fall 2026 Messenger, several hundred residents took part, and more shared ideas at the district's summer event booths.

The Messenger's summary of what it heard is the only published account of that feedback, and it comes from the district itself. Connection to nature and history and cultural preservation "consistently rose to the top," it says, followed by neighborhood compatibility, agricultural heritage and smart spending. For activities, residents favored trails and accessible paths, peaceful natural open space and animal interactions. Live ranch demonstrations and farm-to-table experiences also drew support.

That list mostly describes a quiet place to walk, look at animals and take in the land. The survey is now asking how much of that would come with a price.

How the survey sorts those wishes

The survey runs on Polco and is part of the Metro District's 2026 citizen survey. It is open to all residents, takes about 16 minutes and requires an email address. The Messenger says the district hired an independent research firm to run it as a statistically valid communitywide survey. Historic Park is one section of the larger survey.

That section asks three kinds of questions. First, residents rate eight planning factors from essential to not at all important. The eight are history, nature, smart spending, local distinctiveness, agricultural history, Mansion compatibility, stewardship and neighborhood compatibility. Second, they rate how likely they are to join each of 12 fee-based programs. Third, they say how often they would use five amenities: trails, a shelter or picnic area, historic interpretive signage, a museum and a nature center.

Here is how the summer's favorite activities line up against those questions:

The free-feeling items from the summer, trails and open space, appear as amenities and planning factors. Three of the five summer favorites appear as programs, and the survey labels all 12 of its programs fee-based. The rest of the program list is youth day camp, K-12 education, adult education, special events, barn private event rentals, agricultural education, gardening, cultural programs and a stargazing experience.

The budget shows why the district is asking. Staff have earmarked $10 million in the long-range financial plan for initial design and part of the improvements. The district says there are currently too many unknowns to estimate construction or operating costs. Once the concept plan is done, staff will prepare cost estimates and phasing options. A business plan will be completed at the same time "to understand ongoing operations cost." Your answers about paid programs help show how much of that operating cost programs could cover.

Historic Park will not have sports fields, according to the district's planning page.

What happens between now and a shovel

The district has laid out three phases: planning, design and construction. Residents get a chance to review and comment on the concept plan before any work begins. Here is where things stand as of mid-October 2026:

1. Survey closes Wednesday, Oct. 28. Results add to the summer meeting feedback.
2. Buildings get assessed. For the Sept. 29 board meeting, staff recommended Resolution 26-138. It would appropriate $150,000 from the Capital Projects Fund and approve a $39,500 agreement with Walker Consultants for a structural assessment of the ranch buildings and supporting infrastructure. The item was listed under Consent Business on the meeting agenda. Approved minutes for that meeting had not been posted as of this writing. According to the packet, the assessment would document each building's condition and estimate repair costs, "giving staff a basis for prioritizing future work."
3. Concept plan in 2027. A consultant will turn the community input into a plan covering amenities, estimated construction costs and a long-term approach to operations.
4. Final design, then construction. The district hasn't set construction timing yet. It will decide whether amenities are built all at once or added over time.

The gap between the $39,500 contract and the $150,000 appropriation is explained in the packet. Older structures may need "additional assessments, investigations, and consulting services" as findings come in. The leftover funds keep that option open without another appropriation in 2026.

Getting onto the grounds this fall

For now, the Mansion's own calendar is the main way to spend time on the property. The Mansion grounds are generally open daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. unless otherwise posted. Free guided and self-guided historic tours run during scheduled public open hours.

Coming up through early December:

• Spirits with the Spirits Mansion Tours, Oct. 14 and 21, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Ages 21 and up. The Mansion lists it as sold out with a waitlist.
• Last Stop Halloween Event, Oct. 31, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Free, outdoors and open to all ages, with a DJ and a cash bar.
• Veterans Concert, Monday, Nov. 9, 6:30 to 8 p.m., doors at 6. Tickets are $30 through the HRCA.
• Landmark Lectures: Lost Department Stores of Denver with historian Mark Barnhouse, Nov. 16, 5:30 to 8 p.m., presentation at 6:30. Listed as sold out with a waitlist.
• Holiday Celebration, Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hayrides, Santa, self-guided Mansion tours and choir performances are free. Food trucks charge separately.

The newly conveyed land remains under the cattle lease, and the district hasn't announced public access to it. To follow the project between now and the 2027 concept plan, you can sign up for project emails on the Historic Park planning page, or send comments anytime to [email protected].

Pinette Realty Group has followed the ranch around the Mansion through about 30 years of Highlands Ranch growth. If you're wondering how a long-term project like Historic Park fits into your own plans on the Ranch, we're happy to talk it through. Start Your Home Journey with a conversation.