Our Past

The idea of a regional greenway corridor along Sand Creek to link the High Line Canal in Aurora with the Platte River Greenway in Commerce City was first described in 1991 in the Emerald Strands Plan, a multi-jurisdictional planning project of three cities and Adams and Arapahoe counties. In 1993, the Stapleton Redevelopment Foundation commissioned a concept plan for the Emerald Strands committee, which described the opportunities for and constraints on a Sand Creek greenway. In 1994, four of the current partners convened, encouraged by Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO), to begin detailed planning for the corridor.

Grants from GOCO and the US Environmental Protection Agency supported a year-long master planning effort for the Sand Creek Regional Greenway. In 1997, a community steering committee was formed, comprised of council members from partner cities Aurora, Commerce City and Denver;

representatives of neighborhood associations in partner cities; environmental groups; non-profit organizations; and interested individuals. The planning process was supported by a series of community open houses and design workshops where proposed plans were presented, discussed and refined.

The 30-member steering committee guided the development of the greenway, with Stapleton Development Corporation providing staff support and a meeting place for the committee. In 1997, GOCO designated the Sand Creek Regional Greenway as a Legacy Project and awarded $1.75 million in funding for land acquisition and trail construction. Two additional supplements from GOCO have brought the commitment to $3.1 million. Also in 1997, funds were obtained to pay a project coordinator.

In the summer of 1998, a workshop was held to discuss options for an appropriate organizational structure to support the development of the greenway. The workshop brought together key participants in the project and was facilitated by Denver Foundation Executive Director David Miller. The decision was made to form a non-profit organization to manage the development of the greenway as a regional resource and to take lead responsibility for fundraising for the project. An executive director was hired in May 1999 and organizational development activities began.