"We see this as a place that will be a passive park, land that will provide opportunity for education, speaking to the agricultural and ranching history," Highlands Ranch Metro District general manager Stephanie Stanley told the Highlands Ranch Herald this spring. "We don't see this as a place for sports fields."
She was talking about the land around the Highlands Ranch Mansion, which became public property on April 30, 2026. Until the park opens, that land is still worked as a ranch. Cattle still graze the pasture south and east of the Mansion. This holiday season is the first since the handover, and the Mansion's events all happen at the fenceline, with the Mansion lit up on one side and a working ranch on the other.
What changed hands in April
On April 30, Shea Homes gave about 197 acres of ranchland to the Metro District. That grew Historic Park at 9950 E. Gateway Drive from the land right around the Mansion to almost 250 acres. The added land wraps around the Mansion to the south and east. It's bounded roughly by E. Gateway Drive, E. Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Summit View Parkway and S. Ranch Road/Sterling Drive.
The handover goes back to a promise from before most of Highlands Ranch existed. The Herald's coverage notes that the development guidelines Douglas County approved in 1979 required the Mansion and the ranch property to be open for public benefit. Jeff Kappes, who retired from Mission Viejo and Shea Homes, called it "the final and full completion of public land dedications that were required pursuant to the Highlands Ranch planning and development guide for this community." The Mansion was handed over first, in 2010. The ranch land took another 16 years.
The land came with buildings. The Metro District's Historic Park planning page lists them:
- The historic windmill on the hill south of the Mansion
- Two silos
- Four barns
- A bunkhouse
- Two cottages
- Sheds
- A blacksmith shop
- A laundry and power plant building
- Stables
Board chair Renee Anderson told the Herald that the park "will bring history to life for future generations of visitors." That's still in the future, because the land itself hasn't changed use yet.
Why the pasture is still a pasture
Shea Homes had been leasing the property to Clough Cattle & Fence Company for several years. The Metro District says it will keep leasing to Clough Cattle "until we are ready to make improvements." For now, the land does exactly what it did before the handover.
The Metro District's timeline lists the next steps, with no date yet for the last one:
- 2027: A consultant develops a conceptual plan from community feedback, staff draft a business plan, and residents are surveyed on the concept.
- Design: Final design follows, with more public comment and tighter cost estimates.
- To be determined: Construction, improvements, and opening to the public.
The district's long-range financial plan sets aside $10 million for initial design and part of the improvements. The district says there are still too many unknowns to estimate the full construction and operating costs. Not every structure is guaranteed to reopen. Each building will be renovated only if it is safe, has a defined purpose, and the cost makes sense, and hours for the park have not been set.
Public input this year came through three meetings at the Highlands Ranch Senior Center, held June 17, July 22 and August 17, and a communitywide survey with a Historic Park section, open through Oct. 31. That means you'll be looking across the pasture this December knowing the next decisions are set for 2027.
The fenceline is where this season happens
None of the 197 acres is open for wandering this winter. The Mansion is open, and its holiday calendar is the closest look at the expanded park anyone will get this year.
| Date | Event | Where | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 16, 5:30 to 8 p.m. | Landmark Lecture | Highlands Ranch Mansion | Sold out, with a waitlist |
| Nov. 20 to 22 | Nutcracker Highlights, HRCA | Southridge Recreation Center | Not at the Mansion |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Holiday Celebration at the Mansion | 9950 E. Gateway Drive | Free; shuttle from Mountain Vista High School |
| Tues., Dec. 15, 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Classical Concert at the Mansion, HRCA | Highlands Ranch Mansion | The Mansion will be decorated for the season |
| Tuesdays to Thursdays, most of December | Public open hours | Highlands Ranch Mansion | Free docent-led or self-guided tours |
The Holiday Celebration at the Mansion is the day most people come. The Metro District lists horse-drawn hayrides, visits with Santa, face painting, school choirs, Nutcracker selections by local dancers, holiday story times, and reindeer games on the lawn. Volunteer docents will be there for self-guided tours of the Mansion, and food trucks will sell food and drinks. There's no parking at the Mansion except for vehicles with disability placards or plates. Shuttle buses start running at 9:30 a.m. from the west student lot at Mountain Vista High School. Vendor spots are full, and the district is keeping a waitlist.
If you'd rather skip the crowds, try the open hours. The Mansion's open-hours calendar lists free sessions on Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 16, 22, 23 and 29. Docents give historic tours, or you can walk through on your own. Reservations are recommended for everyone and required for groups. The schedule can change for special or private events, so check the calendar before you go.
The Dec. 15 concert is the evening option. HRCA says the Mansion will be decorated for the season. If you're mainly after the Nutcracker, note that HRCA's Nutcracker Highlights performances on Nov. 20, 21 and 22 are at Southridge Recreation Center, not the Mansion. The Mansion gets its own Nutcracker selections at the Dec. 5 celebration.
The cattle have been here longer than the Mansion's name
The Clough Cattle lease fits a long run of livestock on this land. The Metro District's history of Highlands Ranch traces the property to Samuel Allen Long. He filed his homestead claim in 1884 and built a stone farmhouse he named Rotherwood. John Springer bought it in 1897 and expanded the house. The ranch passed to Colonel William Hughes in 1913, and Waite Phillips bought it in 1920. Phillips called his larger holding Phillips Highland Ranch.
Frank Kistler bought the ranch in 1926 and ran it as the Diamond K Ranch, a mixed livestock-breeding operation. He also remodeled the Mansion in the Tudor style you'll see on a December tour. Lawrence Phipps Jr. bought it from Kistler in 1937, renamed it Highlands Ranch, and owned it until 1976. From his estate it passed to Marvin Davis.
The community got its name from the Phipps era, and the ranch work never stopped. The barns, stables, bunkhouse and blacksmith shop on the Metro District's inventory are the working buildings of that history. Stanley says the park is meant to teach about agriculture and ranching. Right now, the people doing that work are cattle ranchers on a lease, and docents won't be leading tours of it for a while.
What 2027 decides
Stanley told the Herald the district is talking with Douglas County, the Highlands Ranch Community Association, the Douglas County School District and the CSU 4-H Extension about the park. Before any construction starts, residents will get to review and comment on the conceptual plan. The district also hasn't decided whether the park will be built all at once or in phases.
You can follow along between now and then. The Metro District has a Historic Park email list for project updates. Donations go to the Historic Park Preservation Fund through the Highlands Ranch Park & Recreation Foundation. General questions go to [email protected] or 303-791-0430.
On Dec. 5, the shuttle from Mountain Vista drops visitors at the Mansion, and the windmill on the hill to the south stands on land the community now owns but can't walk yet.
I'll be following the Historic Park plan closely as it takes shape in 2027. If you'd like to talk about how the park's progress might affect your part of Highlands Ranch, or you're curious what your home is worth this season, Lara Property Group is happy to help. Get your instant home valuation.
