At Fly'n B Park, 2910 Plaza Drive, a house built in 1906 sits beside the fishing pond. It is coming down. The Highlands Ranch Metro District's approved plan, Concept C, removes the structurally unsound house and puts its salvaged bricks back into the park as interpretive signs and benches. The same plan adds 22 parking spaces and accessibility improvements.
The 2027 budgets released this fall show the same pattern at a much larger scale. Most of what Highlands Ranch plans to build next uses land and money the community already has. Much of it traces back to Shea Homes and the ranch's original development, and Douglas County supplies a good share of the rest. That explains why the household increases on the 2027 bills are small even though the project list is long.
The Household Number Comes First
Two bodies send Highlands Ranch homeowners a bill, and both published 2027 budgets this fall.
The Highlands Ranch Community Association's draft, dated September 21, 2026, sets the total homeowner assessment at $178.90 per quarter, or $715.60 a year. That is $19.60 more per year, a 2.82% increase. HRCA ties the figure to the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood housing and shelter CPI, which was also 2.82% as of July 2026. Of the increase, $5 goes to the admin assessment and $14.60 to recreation.
The Metro District's 2027 proposed budget, posted October 15, 2026, keeps the mill levy at 12.250 mills. The district says modestly higher property tax revenue will come from changes in assessed valuation, with no change to the rate. The one fee change most homeowners will see is stormwater. For a single-family home it would rise from $3.48 to $4.35 per bi-monthly bill, which adds $5.22 a year.
Taken together, a single-family household's proposed increase across both budgets comes to about $25 a year. The rest of this post covers what that money sits next to.
Where the Money for 2027 Actually Comes From
| Project | Where | Main source of land or money | Current timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Camp building, $7.25M | Backcountry Outdoor Center, 6005 Ron King Trail | $5.4M from HRCA's OSCA fund, $1.85M from Recreation Operations | Contractor RFQ sent in August |
| Wildcat Regional Park, $3.5M | 202 acres behind Rocky Heights Middle School | Douglas County | Construction early 2027, opening late 2027 or early 2028 |
| Historic Park expansion, about 197 acres | Around the Mansion, 9950 E. Gateway Drive | Land conveyed by Shea Homes, April 30, 2026 | Survey this fall, concept plan in 2027 |
| Plaza Drive Park, up to $2.5M | North side of Plaza Drive, by the High Line Canal | Land donated by Shea Properties, Metro District fund balance | Completion anticipated in 2027 |
| Fly'n B Park improvements | 2910 Plaza Drive | About $697,000 in remaining county grant money, then district reserves | Construction anticipated in 2027 |
Only one row in that table draws mainly on current household assessments, and even that one is a minority share: the $1.85 million for Base Camp that comes from HRCA recreation operations. The rest comes from three places. Shea-era land and funds account for some of it. County grants account for more. The Metro District also has savings it can draw on without raising the mill levy.
The Shea Homes Legacy Is Doing Most of the Building
Base Camp. The largest single line in HRCA's Backcountry capital budget is $7.25 million for the Base Camp building, and the budget notes that the cost includes a secondary egress road. Of that, $5.4 million comes from the OSCA fund. That money traces to the Open Space Conservation Agreement with Shea Homes Limited Partnership, and the budget says the final contributions to the fund came in 2018. In other words, HRCA is spending a reserve that has not received new money in eight years.
Base Camp sits on the western edge of the Backcountry Outdoor Center near Santa Fe Road, alongside the horse corrals and archery ranges. HRCA's 2022 project description called the planned building an Environmental Education Center, with a licensed nature preschool, staff offices, indoor and outdoor gathering space and a weather shelter. HRCA's Wild Roots nature preschool already lists Base Camp as its location. The 2027 draft budget sets aside $10,000 for furniture and learning materials for a "year around preschool." HRCA has not published a construction start or opening date for the building.
The Mansion acreage. On April 30, 2026, Shea Homes conveyed about 197 acres of ranchland around the Highlands Ranch Mansion to the Metro District, bringing Historic Park to almost 250 acres. The land is bordered by E. Gateway Drive, E. Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Summit View Parkway and S. Ranch Road/Sterling Drive. It includes pasture, a historic windmill and 13 outbuildings: four barns, two silos, a bunkhouse, two cottages, sheds, a blacksmith shop, a single combined laundry and power-plant building, and stables.
Plaza Drive Park. Shea Properties is donating the land for this two-acre park on the north side of Plaza Drive and managing its construction while it develops the adjoining parcel to the east. The district caps the park's cost at $2.5 million and will pay for it from its general-fund balance, which is money already saved. Proposed features include community garden plots with accessible raised beds, a picnic shelter and grill, bocce, horseshoes, cornhole, a fitness area, a sensory garden, a sculpture, a restroom, a drinking fountain and a trail connection.
Douglas County Is Paying for the Trails
Douglas County approved $3.5 million to build Wildcat Regional Park. Colorado Community Media reported that HRCA will own, operate and maintain the trails once they are complete, and that the park is a 202-acre parcel behind Rocky Heights Middle School. The parcel sits in the northeast part of the Backcountry Wilderness Area, and the county transferred it to HRCA in 2025.
According to HRCA's project page, the plan centers on trails:
- A bike skills area, which likely will not include expert-level features
- About 5 miles of bike-only trails, where dogs are not allowed
- About 3 miles of surfaced trails and about 3 miles of natural-surface multi-use trails, where dogs are allowed
- Rocky Gulch Trail, about 1.5 miles, converted to pedestrian-only use
- A trailhead with parking and screened portable restrooms, no planned lighting and no gates
The park will be open to the public from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. HRCA's 11.2 miles of private Backcountry trails are for residents and their accompanied guests, although the public Douglas County East/West Regional Trail also passes through the Backcountry. HRCA lists design completion for fall or winter 2026, construction starting in early 2027 and an estimated opening in late 2027 or early 2028.
The county is also funding the road to the park. Grigs Road Phase 2 is the final stretch of about one mile to the future Wildcat entrance. Its design includes a roundabout and a shared-use trail. As of July 2026 it was still in planning and design, with construction anticipated in 2027.
County money shows up at Fly'n B as well. The 10.3-acre park's improvements will use about $697,000 in remaining Douglas County grant funds, and any costs above that will come from Metro District cash reserves. The Town Center and Chris Falkel Drive traffic signal is funded through an intergovernmental agreement with Douglas County and is expected to be finished in 2027.
What the Household Increases Actually Cover
The household increases mostly pay for upkeep, and very little of them goes to new amenities. The Metro District says the stormwater increase covers higher costs from inflation and newer regulatory requirements, plus construction work it coordinates with Mile High Flood District. HRCA's draft says the 2027 assessments keep its recreation operating and reserve funds above minimum levels and keep its aging facilities in good condition. The $5 admin increase restores about half of a cut HRCA made in 2024, when it lowered admin assessments from $73.44 to $63.00.
HRCA's 2027 budget also carries no debt service. Its 2005 bonds were paid off in December 2024. Without a bond payment, the recreation assessment can go toward operations and reserves.
These budgets cover only part of the cost of the land these projects sit on. Shea donated the Mansion acreage and the Plaza Drive parcel, and the OSCA fund is a set amount that is not being replenished. That supply of Shea-era land and money is finite. The Metro District's three-year capital plan totals about $6.3 million in 2027 and $8.6 million in 2028. How the Historic Park buildings are preserved, and what that costs, has not been set yet.
The Historic Park Plan Is Still Open
Historic Park is the project residents can still shape the most. The Metro District held three identical community meetings on June 17, July 22 and August 17, 2026, each with voting exercises on preferred activities and priorities. The district has planned a communitywide survey for this fall. A consultant will use the results to draft a concept plan in 2027, and the public will be asked to comment on that plan before final design. The 2027 budget describes the current work as engagement, conceptual planning and structural assessments of the ranch buildings. It places major preservation and park improvements in 2027 and beyond.
The Dates to Comment on Both Budgets
HRCA's delegates had a vote on the 2027 budget on the agenda for their October 20 meeting, with a three-minute Member Forum before it. The Metro District's process is still ahead:
- Friday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m.: Metro District board budget workshop
- Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m.: next regular HRCA Delegate and Board meeting
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 6 p.m.: Metro District public hearing on the 2027 budget
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.: Metro District board adopts the final budget
The Metro District's budget notice says a printed copy is available at the Hendrick Office Building, 62 Plaza Drive, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays for $20. Questions can go to [email protected]. The assessment and fee figures above are proposals that may change before adoption. This post is general information, not financial or legal advice, so please confirm what applies to your own household with HRCA or the Metro District.
If you're thinking about how Base Camp, Wildcat Regional Park or the Mansion acreage might affect a home you own or are considering nearby, I'm happy to go through the timelines with you. Melissa Smessaert is here when you're ready to Schedule a Consultation.
