The High Line Canal Conservancy is leading a large-scale planning effort to ensure the well-loved Canal trail reaches its greatest potential as an economic, environmental, recreational and social asset along not just some, but all of its 71 miles. Today, well over 350,000 residents reside within one mile of the Canal, and estimates made over five years ago indicate that annually more than 500,000 people use the Canal as a recreational asset. As we look toward the Canal’s next one hundred years, we must explore all opportunities that will help to preserve and enhance the well-loved qualities of this wonderful environmental and recreational asset.
The Conservancy, along with Denver Water, which manages the Canal, is pursuing a comprehensive planning initiative called “Adventure on the Canal: Charting our course for the next century,” which will ask the public to consider how they view the long-term purpose of the Canal and its natural and recreational resources. This planning initiative will bring residents from all over the region together to “think big” about their vision for the Canal’s future.
This Public Outreach and Vision Planning Phase offers the opportunity to write the exciting future vision for this stunning landscape, together as one community.
The goal of this process is to develop a shared vision for the Canal, establishing key large-scale system strategies around elements of cohesion and areas of uniqueness in the broad, 71-mile project scope. This visioning process is about writing the story of the Canal’s future.
Each series of community open houses, which includes 3 identical community gatherings in various locations along the Canal, represents an important chapter in the mission to chart the High Line Canal’s course for the next century. Together, the four series follow the arc of a typical story.
Chapter One – “Our Journey Begins” will kick off the week of June 6 at Aurora Central Library, the Lowry Town Center and Goodson Recreation Center. At these introductory open house events, we’ll take a journey together along all 71 miles of the Canal, from the foothills to the plains, and you’ll be able to share your ideas and feedback every step of the way.
Chapter Two – “A Fork in the Road” will be held the week of July 18 at EXPO Park Recreation Center, Eloise May Library and Eisenhower Park Recreation Center. This set of community open houses will be the second chapter of the story, bringing residents together to focus on the Canal’s future opportunities and challenges. We’ll explore how each of these ideas could impact the Canal’s narrative in the years to come and ask for your feedback.
Chapter 3 – “Our Story” will be held the week of September 5 at locations to be set in the future. This third chapter will focus on presenting the initial vision reached by residents, the draft shared vision for the Canal, asking the public to share their feedback and input on the shared vision for the Canal.
Chapter 4 – “Looking Ahead” will be held the week of October 16 at locations to be set in the future. This fourth set of open houses represents the final chapter, the draft action plan, determined by feedback from the public. It will be focused on implementation and next steps, and will continue to rely on feedback from the public about the final preferred vision for the Canal.
These community open houses are just one piece of the puzzle. Through community and civic organizations, strategic input sessions, and by tapping into existing events, the Conservancy is embracing an all-encompassing outreach approach to help write the story of the future of the Canal.
