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Parks director details civic-area concept design, says $18 million will not cover entire plan
Summary
Parks and Recreation director Ali Rhodes updated the commission on the civic-area design process, the project schedule and operations planning. Rhodes said the city has $18 million from a 2021 tax measure and will seek schematic design and construction documents this year, with construction expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
Ali Rhodes, Director of Parks and Recreation, gave a multi-part update on the civic-area project and related park improvements during the May 13 meeting.
Rhodes said the city is moving from analysis and community engagement into a single concept design that will be presented in a third public engagement window this summer. "We're at an exciting point where we have been working hard to understand the site, the significant constraints from the flood plain, from the existing buildings, the special uses to the community," Rhodes said.
Rhodes told commissioners the project will use $18,000,000 assigned from the 2021 community culture resilience and safety tax for design and some construction but that the amount is "not enough for the breadth of the park." She described two implementation pathways: a steady, phased build as funds become available or a larger approach that attracts private and philanthropic leverage to multiply public funds.
Operations and safety were central themes in Rhodes’ presentation. Staff are working with the police department and the urban ranger team on presence in the park, and on governance and activation models to ensure facilities are staffed and programmed after construction. "What makes a park great is really what happens after the living opening — how are you taking care of it? How are you activating it?" Rhodes said.
Rhodes described several design ideas that resonated during engagement: an expanded farmers market and food and innovation hub, a beer garden possibility, a food-truck plaza at the corner of Arapahoe and Broadway, and enhanced creek-edge uses the team has nicknamed "Boulder Beach." She said the design team will convert community feedback into imagery and schematic materials for further comment this summer.
Rhodes also noted two other park projects in scoping and outreach: Pearl Street investment work funded with pagedollars (scope to be determined) and Barker Park playground replacement (engagement this summer; construction in 2026; ribbon cutting planned summer 2027).
Ending: Rhodes asked commissioners to expect ongoing engagement opportunities this summer and to provide input on governance and funding models as the design yields cost estimates.
