The Village Greens Parking Squeeze Is the Mild Version

This school year, Cherry Creek High School juniors hold about 280 of the parking spaces in Village Greens Park's two lots. The extra student lot that was supposed to start on Field 10 in mid-August is now described as a "possibility." Two neighborhoods next to the campus have had permit-only street parking since August 3. The park's fall leaf drop-off is down to three days.

None of that is the rebuild at its peak. In its September 16 update, Cherry Creek School District wrote that "future construction phases will have a larger impact on student parking." The arrangement at 9501 East Union Avenue this fall is the starting point. Everything holding it together is temporary, unsettled, or both.

Who Parks Where at Village Greens Right Now

The City of Greenwood Village's July 29 notice, updated August 6, splits the park's existing lots like this:

The district's August 7 plan marks student spaces with white lines and public spaces with yellow, and students display an official CCHS decal. The same plan says there "will continue to be ample parking available for park users." The figures show the balance clearly enough. For every yellow-lined space there are more than four white-lined ones, and the south lot keeps just 8 spaces for the public.

Even 280 spaces didn't cover the demand. About 500 juniors asked to park. All on-campus permits went to seniors, which left roughly 200 juniors without a permit when school started. The district has also been working with local churches to find parking for sophomores who are eligible to drive.

Field 10 Went From Scheduled to "Possibility" in Six Weeks

The plan for those 200 juniors was a new 198-space lot on Field 10, the northeast field at Village Greens. The wording changed fast over the summer:

1. July 29 to August 6, city notice: Construction "expected to begin in mid-August," with the lot "anticipated to open in late fall."
2. August 7, CCSD update: Construction "will begin soon and is expected to be completed during first semester."
3. September 16, CCSD update: The district "continue[s] to maintain the possibility" of turning Field 10 into a lot and is "in conversation with the City of Greenwood Village as we explore possibilities."

The September update also says:

"While we may be able to reach a short-term solution that meets this year's needs, future construction phases will have a larger impact on student parking."

As of today, October 10, I have found no later public announcement that the lot was approved, built, or dropped. Field 10's future is undecided. In the meantime, the September 16 update says CCHS administration is watching how permitted spaces get used and issuing more permits as spaces open up, so juniors without a permit are getting in a few at a time instead of all at once.

One detail from the city's notice explains why so much of this is coming from the district. Village Greens Park is not city-owned property, and the city says the new lot is the school district's responsibility. The city directs questions about student parking, lot design, and construction to Cherry Creek School District. Its contact list includes CCSD Bond Information at 720-554-4990 and the contractor, JHL Constructors, at 720-273-6590.

The Streets Around Campus Now Run on Permits

With fewer spaces than drivers, the city acted on the streets. At its August 3 meeting, City Council approved two emergency ordinances on first and final reading. Ordinance 08-26 creates a parking permit district for Village on the Lake. Ordinance 09-26 creates one for a portion of Cherry Creek Village North. Cherry Creek Village South already had a district.

Here is how the new districts work under the ordinance text:

• Hours: Parking on public roadways in the district is prohibited at all times unless the vehicle displays a resident, visitor, or temporary visitor permit.
• Resident decals: Each residential unit can get free decals for vehicles registered to its address.
• Visitors: Each unit gets three free, reusable visitor permits coded to its address. More can be issued temporarily if there is a satisfactory showing of need.
• Shelf life: Emergency ordinances take effect when adopted and expire after 180 days, or sooner if a regular ordinance establishes or amends the district.

Counting 180 days from August 3 puts the expiration at around the end of January 2027, halfway through the school year. Before then, council either passes regular ordinances or the emergency districts lapse. The exact street boundaries are on the Exhibit A maps attached to each ordinance. If you live near the edge of either district, those maps are where to check your block. For student parking problems off campus, the city and CCSD both point residents to the Greenwood Village Police Department non-emergency line, 303-773-2525.

What the Squeeze Has Already Changed on the Park Calendar

The parking shortage is also changing the park's regular fall services. The city's October 2026 newsletter limits leaf drop-off at the Village Greens North Parking Lot to three dates, and says drop-offs "are not available on any other dates, as parking space is limited in the area due to the ongoing Cherry Creek High School Rebuild Project."

• Tuesday, October 27, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Thursday, November 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Saturday, November 14, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The service is for Greenwood Village residents only. Contractors can't use it. Leaves can come loose or bagged, and bagged leaves can still go out with weekly trash. Questions go to Parks, Trails, and Recreation at 303-486-5773.

That first drop-off date overlaps with the park's biggest new amenity. At 6 p.m. on October 27, the same Tuesday, the city holds the grand opening of the Village Greens pump track. If you're coming that day, expect the north side of the park to be busier than usual.

The Pump Track Shows What a Long Lead Time Looks Like

The pump track is the opposite of the Field 10 lot. It was planned in public over three years and is opening on the date the city announced.

Arapahoe County's Open Space program awarded $225,000 in its 2023 grant cycle for a pump track at the Village Greens North Park mountain bike skills course. The city's design/build solicitation, published November 27, 2023, called for an asphalt track of about 8,000 to 9,000 square feet added to the existing course at 9501 East Union Avenue. By March 2024, the city's newsletter put the budget at $300,000, with the county grant covering 75 percent, and scheduled a public input meeting on the design. The September 2026 newsletter set the October 27 opening, and the October issue repeated it.

It follows the playground replacement, which opened in July 2025 after finishing ahead of schedule. The athletic fields are also holding up through dry spells. Village Greens is irrigated from non-potable wells, so the city's 2026 two-day watering restrictions didn't apply there. The park's own amenities are in good shape and still being added to. What has changed is getting to them by car.

How Long This Lasts, by the District's Own Schedule

The rebuild runs on a calendar measured in years. CCSD describes Phase I as replacing the 1955 West Building with separate academic and athletic buildings, redeveloping parking, and creating a main campus vehicle entrance from Union Avenue. JHL Constructors' May 15 announcement puts the academic building at 160,000 square feet over three stories and the athletics facility at 95,000 square feet.

Here is where the work stood in mid-September. The Education Services Center and Office of Financial Services buildings had been demolished, underground utility work was finished, and crews were pouring the foundation for the new academic building. The district's project overview estimates the new West Buildings will be occupied in summer 2028 and the old West Building demolished in fall 2028.

The work may not stop there. Phase II depends on a possible 2028 bond. It would add academic and arts buildings, a pool, an athletics expansion, and parking. Without that bond, the rest of the school wouldn't be rebuilt, though Phase I would still be finished.

Taken together, the district's warning about later phases makes sense. This year, seniors are mostly parked on campus, juniors are at Village Greens, and the extra lot is still under discussion. Demolishing the old West Building in fall 2028 and any Phase II work after that would come later, with the district already saying parking will get tighter. Residents can sign up for updates through the city's NotifyMe service by selecting "Cherry Creek Campus Rebuild Project."

If you live in Village on the Lake, Cherry Creek Village North, or anywhere near the Union Avenue side of campus and want to talk through what permit districts and a multi-year construction schedule could mean for your street, Kelly Mauro follows these updates closely and is glad to walk through them with you. Contact Kelly for a personalized consultation and home valuation.

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