Aurora council advances Central Community Park master plan; pond to be removed for naturalized wetland

The Aurora City Council on July 28 advanced a preliminary master plan for the 12‑acre Central Community Park in Ward 5, voting by unanimous consent to send the plan to a future regular council agenda, city staff said.

The plan would remove the existing pond and reconfigure the site into a naturalized wetland and open‑play areas while keeping courts and playground facilities, Trent Woolley, senior landscape architect with the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Department, told the council at a study session.

Woolley said the pond “will be removed as part of this project” and that Aurora Water is directing that work. He described a new, more naturalized channel through the wetland area with several micro pools, walking trails, pedestrian bridges, a low‑water crossing and a small shelter. “That pond serves as an irrigation source only at this particular point in time,” Woolley added when asked how the change would affect irrigation.

The plan divides the site into three primary areas: a wetland corridor where West Tollgate Creek and No Name Creek enter the site; a central playground and open‑play area adjacent to the Central Recreation Center; and an eastern court area. The court area would include two basketball courts, two tennis courts and four pickleball courts plus three small shelters with benches and picnic tables, according to staff illustrations presented to the council.

The central open area would be general play space (staff said it is not the type of grama athletic field) and the team is still deciding between synthetic turf and bluegrass. The playground will include separate areas for older and younger children separated by a climbing wall; Woolley said the wall “will be a safe height” and will allow children to “play all over and on top of that wall, transition between the 2 areas.” Additional amenities shown in consultant images include a large pavilion with picnic tables, a bouldering area and a flush restroom.

Staff described a public outreach process that included three in‑person public meetings (an average of 36 attendees per meeting) and post‑meeting surveys that averaged 57 responses. Woolley summarized the project’s review history: the presentation followed a March 5 start of the approval process, a March 12 planning and zoning study session, a March 27 PFQL policy committee review, and a July 9 planning and zoning public hearing; advisory opinions from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and planning and zoning commission were positive, he said.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the pond and park features. Mayor Pro Tem Sundberg asked whether the pond removal would eliminate the existing water lagoon; Woolley confirmed it would and reiterated Aurora Water’s role. Council member Lawson asked specifically about the climbing wall after earlier discussions with staff; Woolley confirmed the climbing wall remains in the playground design.

By unanimous consent — with no formal roll‑call motion recorded — the council agreed to move the preliminary master plan forward to a regular council agenda for formal consideration, staff said. The presentation noted that, if approved by council, the item would appear on a subsequent regular meeting agenda (the presenter referenced "the eleventh" in the presentation).

Construction timing, project budget and final decisions on turf type were not specified during the study session. Additional design refinements, any environmental permitting tied to wetland work, and scheduling will be handled in the next steps of staff review and the formal council consideration.

The park site is located near South Tower Road and Telluride Street and surrounds the Central Recreation Center. Staff identified the project as a partnership with Aurora Water for pond and irrigation work and noted ongoing coordination with Arts in Public Places for an art element in the wetland area.