Quincy Farm's 2026 Upgrades Went to the Pond and the Trail. The Crowd-Ready Pieces Come Later.

"It will take time for the new plants to fill in, but these improvements will help create a healthier pond and better habitat for birds and other wildlife," Emily Black, the city's Parks Project and Operations Manager, told the August Village Crier. Her line describes how Cherry Hills Village is handling Quincy Farm as a whole. This year's money went to the parts of the farm that walkers on the High Line Canal Trail see every day. Restrooms, a parking area, and private event rentals all come later, and each one depends on the step before it.

The order is deliberate. It comes from the city's Quincy Farm vision, which City Council approved at its June 16, 2026 meeting. That plan calls for an active barnyard on the east side and a quiet natural area on the west side with mountain views. Here is what has been finished, what is still planned, and what a visit looks like this October.

The Pond Was the First Big Project

The pond dates to the 1930s. It counts toward the farm's listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, sediment made it shallower, and algae blooms kept coming back. Treatments helped for a while, but the city decided it needed a longer-term fix.

The fix took about two years. Planning and grant work started in 2024, earthwork followed in fall 2025, and final planting finished in 2026. The city held a completion celebration on July 21. Crews dredged the pond and reshaped it to be smaller and deeper, which should improve water quality and lose less water to evaporation and seepage. They also restored the wetland and shoreline and planted native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wetland plants. Floating islands, rock jetties, and bird and bat boxes went in too.

The pond came first because of the birds. Birds recorded there include American white pelicans, black-crowned night herons, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons, and snowy egrets. The pond is also Colorado's first documented breeding site for hooded mergansers. It sits along one of the busiest stretches of the High Line Canal Trail, so anyone walking past can watch the new plantings grow in over the next few seasons.

The Bridge, a Path, and 40 Trees

The second set of 2026 projects also served people on foot. In May, the city removed the original footbridge over the High Line Canal and estimated it would be out for about two weeks. When a Cherry Hills Land Preserve program ran on June 14, construction was still going on, and attendees were told to meet on the west side at 4400 East Quincy and park on Quincy Avenue or nearby.

At the August 18 council meeting, Black reported that city Parks staff had replaced the bridge themselves. She said that saved the city a good deal of money compared with hiring a contractor, and that the new bridge is safer and more accessible than the old one. The High Line Canal Conservancy is sharing the cost. Under the July 2026 agreement, the project was estimated at $130,000. The Conservancy will pay half, up to $65,000, once the work is done, and the deadline for completion is November 30, 2026. The $130,000 figure is the agreement's estimate. It is not a final cost.

Parks staff also worked on the East Side this year. They put in a crusher-fine path, irrigation, and 40 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. These are meant to provide shade and, later on, hands-on lessons for children. Those plantings sit next to the Big Barn, which was renovated in 2025. That work repaired the structure, kept the stalls at the back, and opened the front as a small gathering space for programs. A historic interpretive sign for the East Side, made with the Land Preserve, is scheduled to go up this fall so visitors can learn the farm's history on their own.

Why the Restrooms, Parking, and Rentals Come Last

The renovated barn is ready, but private gatherings there are years away. At the August 18 meeting, Black said there is strong community interest in private events at Quincy Farm. She then listed four things that must be in place first, and staff expects them all to be ready around 2028.

1. The East Side Farmhouse. The feasibility study and construction documents are finished. The project was set to go out to bid this summer, with construction running into 2027. The farmhouse will hold the accessible restrooms the Big Barn needs, along with a simple kitchen, storage, and meeting space.
2. A grass parking area. It will hold 24 vehicles. Vegetation will grow up through a grid, so the lot will look like the rest of the field, with no painted lines. It will be open only for Land Preserve or city events and gated most of the time, so it will not become a daily trailhead. Final plans still have to go to Colorado Open Lands, which holds the farm's conservation easement.
3. Staff to set up, run, and clean up after events.
4. Rental policies approved by Council. These include definitions of small and medium events. Black compared the process to John Meade Park, where Council set rules on noise levels and hours before its shelter opened for rentals.

The West Side has its own schedule. The 2027 plan calls for removing the Anderson House, probably in the second half of the year, and replanting the site to match the vision. A feasibility study for the Hopkins House, a late-19th-century farmhouse that is among the oldest buildings in the area, is planned for the same period. City Manager Cramer told Council that projects involving historic buildings tend to go through many rounds of revision and almost always take longer than first estimated. Treat any date tied to the Hopkins House as a projection.

The draft 2027 Quincy Farm budget totals $842,000, and $700,000 of that is capital money for the farmhouse, the Anderson House removal, and the Hopkins House study. The draft still needs Council approval through the regular budget process. A smaller project of about $20,000 would replace the bluegrass lawn next to the Anderson House site with a grass that uses less water, because the bluegrass is doing poorly under current water restrictions.

What a Visit Looks Like This October

For now, Quincy Farm is still a place you walk to. According to the Cherry Hills Land Preserve, the farm's basic rules are:

• Hours: The east and west sides are open every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Entry: From the High Line Canal Trail at Quincy Avenue.
• Parking: One accessible space. There is no other parking on site.
• Buildings: Closed to the public except during scheduled programs.
• Bikes: Not allowed to be ridden on the farm. Use the bike rack.
• Dogs: Not allowed.

The Land Preserve's fall program, Raptors, Ponies and Pumpkins, is today, October 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It includes pumpkin decorating, birds of prey, mini horses, and nature tables with partners such as Butterfly Pavilion. It is full and registration is closed. Its program page lists no more dated events after that, though it says a larger fall event is planned for next year.

The city's Día de los Muertos events are a short drive away at City Hall this month. The Art Commission first planned to show calavera sculptures at John Meade Park, then moved the display indoors because of cost and weather. Eight hand-painted calaveras will be on display at City Hall from October 19 through November 2. The Art Commission's free family event is Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 4 p.m., with children's art activities, storytime, and refreshments.

Back at the farm, the most noticeable change this fall is the reshaped pond, with new wetland plants still taking hold along the shore. The city asks visitors to stay on the canal trail as you pass it.

Projects like Quincy Farm shape what life in Cherry Hills Village looks like over the next few years, from a gated event lot to a restored historic farmhouse. If you'd like to talk through how plans like these fit into your own timeline, Debbie Niedergerke follows them closely and is happy to share what she's seeing. Work with Debbie. Let's connect about your next move.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.