Village Greens Park Isn't City Property, and This Fall Shows What That Means

Which parking spaces at Village Greens Park are open to you this fall? The answer is painted on the asphalt. Spaces lined in yellow are for park users. Spaces lined in white belong to Cherry Creek High School juniors with an official CCHS decal, and the district said signs explaining the split would go up at the park.

The painted lines come from one sentence that most Greenwood Village residents have probably never had a reason to read. In its July update on the high school rebuild, the city stated that "Village Greens Park is not City-owned property." Through late 2028, that fact sets the terms for the park's lots, its fields and even the days you can drop off leaves. The city's new pump track arrived this fall inside those terms.

Two lots, two colors of paint

The Cherry Creek High School rebuild started in spring 2026 and runs through late 2028, according to the city's February project update. Construction has cut on-campus parking sharply. Seniors got the remaining campus permits for the 2026–27 school year, and juniors were sent to the two existing lots at Village Greens Park.

The city's parking notice breaks the lots down like this:

That leaves 65 reserved spaces for park users and 280 for students across the two lots, and almost all of the park spaces are in the north lot. The south lot holds 8. If you're driving to the park on a school day, the north lot is where the yellow lines are concentrated. The school district's construction updates page says there will still be "ample parking available for park users." The district has also paid for two security positions to patrol student and staff lots on and off campus.

Even 280 spaces didn't cover the demand. About 500 juniors asked to park, so roughly 200 started the school year without a permit. That shortfall leads straight to the question still open on the park's far northeast corner.

The pump track is the part the city added

Against that backdrop, the city's one new addition to Village Greens this fall is easy to miss. The new pump track sits next to the Village Greens Mountain Bike Course, and the city set its grand opening for Tuesday, October 27, at 6 p.m., the same day as the first leaf drop-off. The city's event listing describes it as a compact loop of rollers and berms. Riders build speed by pumping their bodies through the terrain instead of pedaling, and the track is meant for all ages and abilities.

The money came partly from outside the city. Arapahoe County's list of 2023 open space grant recipients includes a $225,000 award for a pump track at the Village Greens North Park mountain bike skills course. The city's October newsletter credits the county's Open Space Sales and Use Tax and calls the track the latest addition to the bike course.

The grant was awarded in 2023, before anyone knew student cars would fill most of the park's lots. The track opened in a season when the north lot, with its 57 yellow-lined spaces, is the most practical place to park for it.

Leaf drop-off runs on the rebuild's schedule

The city's fall leaf drop-off shows the same pattern. Residents can bring fallen leaves to the Village Greens Park North Parking Lot from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on three days only. The city's October newsletter gives the reason directly: "Drop-offs are not available on any other dates, as parking space is limited in the area due to the ongoing Cherry Creek High School Rebuild Project."

The first date, October 27, has passed. Two remain:

1. Thursday, November 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Village Greens Park North Parking Lot
2. Saturday, November 14, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., same location

The service is for Greenwood Village residents only, and contractors may not use it. You can bring leaves loose or bagged. If neither date works, the city says bagged leaves can still go out with weekly trash collection. Questions go to Parks, Trails, and Recreation at 303-486-5773.

Field 10 and the years still ahead

Back to the roughly 200 juniors without permits. In July, the city announced that Cherry Creek Schools was building a 198-space student lot on Field 10, the far northeast field at Village Greens Park. Construction was expected to start in mid-August, with the lot opening in late fall. The same notice said the lot "is the responsibility of the school district." The district's September 16 update on its construction updates page described Field 10 this way:

"We continue to maintain the possibility of transforming Field 10 in Village Greens Park into a parking lot that could accommodate additional students. We are in conversation with the City of Greenwood Village as we explore possibilities. While we may be able to reach a short-term solution that meets this year's needs, future construction phases will have a larger impact on student parking."

The last sentence of that update matters more than the Field 10 question itself. This school year is the lighter phase. The district's published schedule for the rebuild runs as follows:

1. Spring 2026: demolition of the two administrative buildings
2. By summer 2028: construction and occupancy of the new West Buildings
3. Fall 2028: demolition of the existing West Building and construction of the north lot and drop-off area

You can already see the work from the road. The district's September update reports a 200-foot crane on site and the elevator shaft for the new Academics Building going up. That building is on track to open for the start of the 2028–29 school year. When Phase I is finished, the campus will have reworked parking, a primary vehicle entrance from Union Avenue, and student parking in the existing lot west of Stutler Bowl.

The city has acted on the neighborhood side as well. Student parking on surrounding residential streets is prohibited, and the Greenwood Village Police Department and Code Enforcement were assigned to enforce that. City Council took up proposed emergency ordinances for permit parking districts: Ordinance 08-26 for Village on the Lake and Ordinance 09-26 for part of Cherry Creek Village North. Both appear on the council's meeting agenda. Cherry Creek Village South already had a parking district. Mayor George Lantz's October message covers the council's latest discussion of permit parking districts. If you have a student parking problem off campus, the city's contact is the police non-emergency line at 303-773-2525.

The quickest way to keep track of it all is the city's NotifyMe service. If you select "Cherry Creek Campus Rebuild Project," updates arrive by email or text.

The dates the city sets at its own buildings

At the city's Curtis Center for the Arts, two free exhibitions open on Saturday, November 7. "Fragments: Work by Julia Rymer, with Guest Artist Deborah Howard" will hang in the South Gallery. "Elemental: Artwork from the Seed Sisters Collective" will fill the North Gallery. The two shows bring together artists from Colorado and around the world and explore memory, landscape, nature and cultural connection. Julia Rymer gives an artist talk on Saturday, November 14, at 11 a.m. That's the same Saturday as the last leaf drop-off, so one morning can cover both: the north lot at Village Greens, then the galleries. Details on exhibits and classes are on the Curtis Center page.

December moves to City Hall at 6060 S. Quebec Street:

• Mayor's Holiday Lighting, Saturday, December 5, 3 to 5:30 p.m. The city's 2026 events list marks it as a special event for Greenwood Village residents only, with registration required.
• Festival of Lights, Thursday, December 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a menorah lighting, Chanukah crafts, gifts, latkes and donuts.

Both are on the city's December events calendar, which is also where any changes will be posted.

If you're thinking about how a multi-year project nearby might matter for your own street, or for a home you're considering, I'm happy to walk through it with you. I keep a close eye on how projects like the Cherry Creek High School rebuild change daily life in the neighborhoods around them. Abby Barratt is always glad to help. Let's Connect.