Douglas County conveys Wildcat Regional Park to Highlands Ranch Community Association and approves $3.5 million for construction

Douglas County commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 14 to convey 202 acres of Wildcat Regional Park to the Highlands Ranch Community Association and to approve a $3.5 million funding agreement to build a passive trail network and related park improvements.

The transfer uses a quitclaim deed that, according to county planning staff, requires the property to be used for park and recreational purposes and to be developed for public use within three years of transfer. Planning Services staff said the parcel was conveyed to the county as part of planned-development commitments and that the conveyance back to HRCA requires the board to find that "the governmental use or purpose of the land will be furthered by disposal of it." Commissioners made that finding before approving the conveyance (project file MI2025-015).

Highlands Ranch Community Association representatives said HRCA will add roughly 150 acres of adjacent land to the county parcel, creating a combined area of about 352 acres. HRCA's conceptual plan calls for about five miles of natural-surface family/accessible trails, five to six miles of single-use directional mountain-bike trails, and a 3-to-4-acre bike skills area with features such as bridges, berms and pump tracks. HRCA also…