Two projects at Quincy Farm were finished this year, and both are on the High Line Canal side. The rebuilt footbridge from the canal into the farm opened in summer 2026. The old irrigation pond was dredged last fall and replanted this spring. Two other projects were planned for this fall on the Quincy Avenue side: construction on the East Side Farmhouse and a gated grass lot for program parking. In the City's draft 2027 work plan, both are marked "moved from 2026."

So for at least one more year, the 17.5-acre farm at East Quincy Avenue and the High Line Canal is reached the way it was meant to be reached: on foot, from the trail.

The Canal Side Is Done

The Mile 34 project replaced the pedestrian bridge between Quincy Farm and the High Line Canal. According to the High Line Canal Conservancy's trail improvements page, the City of Cherry Hills Village paid for it with matching funds from the Conservancy. The City also kept the new bridge consistent with the historic character of the wooden footbridge it replaced. Anyone who knew the old crossing will find the new one looks much the same.

The pond project was bigger. The pond at the south end of the property was built for irrigation in the 1930s and had filled with sediment over the decades. When the City took over management of the farm in 2016, the pond had extreme algae blooms because it was shallow and poorly aerated. Crews dredged it in fall 2025 to make it smaller and deeper, and planting was finished in spring 2026. The goal was cleaner water and better habitat for the wildlife trail users come to watch.

The budget shows the scale. The City's 2026 Quincy Farm budget carried $400,000 for pond dredging over from 2025, and an Arapahoe County Open Space grant of $241,088 covered part of it. The bridge replacement was a $100,000 carryover line. Together those two canal-side projects account for about 39 percent of the $1,286,000 in Quincy Farm expenses budgeted for 2026.

The Street Side Was the Stated Priority

The 2026 Quincy Farm Annual Plan was approved by City Council on October 21, 2025. It set a different main goal for the year. The City and Cherry Hills Land Preserve agreed to focus mainly on the East Side, "with accessible restrooms, landscaping, and parking."

The plan spells out the parking problem plainly:

"Parking for education programs currently is dependent on the cooperation of the Kent Denver School and requires coordinating all CHLP events subject to the school's schedule. It is also a third-of-a-mile walk from the parking lot to Quincy Farm, so it can be difficult for families with small children or older residents to access the Farm even with this option available."

The fix the City was exploring is a permeable grid in the front East Side pasture next to Quincy Avenue. Grass grows through the grid, and the grid keeps the ground from rutting when it is wet. A gate would open for programs only, and the accessible parking space would stay outside it. Because the farm is under a conservation easement, the plan noted the idea still had to be discussed with Colorado Open Lands.

The restroom need is just as practical. The Big Barn, which was renovated in 2025 and anchors the barnyard programs, has no restrooms. The plan pointed to the Farmhouse across from it as the fix. A feasibility study covered asbestos remediation, a kitchen update, a new roof, and converting a first-floor bathroom into an ADA-compliant restroom. The study also allowed for removing the Farmhouse and rebuilding one of the same scale and appearance. The building was originally a stable and was gutted in the 1960s, so the City does not count it as a contributing structure to the farm's National Register designation. The plan set construction to start in fall 2026.

The Farmhouse is a different building from the Hopkins House, which the farm's own history page describes as one of the oldest farmhouses remaining in Cherry Hills Village.

Here is where each 2026 line item stands in the materials prepared for the October 20 Council meeting:

The 2026 program calendar shows how events managed without that lot. Raptors, Ponies and Pumpkins on October 4 sent families to park at Kent Denver School and follow a short path to the canal trail, then turn left to the barnyard. Mahjong at the Farm on September 23 asked guests to walk, ride or carpool and park on Quincy Avenue or nearby streets. It set aside about 10 spots in the east side barnyard for people with mobility issues and had no parking at all on the west side.

Getting In This Fall, the Way the Farm Is Built For

With the program season over, the Cherry Hills Land Preserve programs page signs off with "See you at Earth Day 2027!" The farm itself stays open every day. These are the visitor rules posted by Quincy Farm:

1. The east and west sides are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
2. Enter from the High Line Canal trail at Quincy Avenue.
3. One accessible parking space is the only parking on site.
4. Bicycles may not be ridden on the farm, and a bike rack is provided.
5. Dogs are not permitted on the farm.
6. Buildings are open to the public only during scheduled programs.

From the canal, the new bridge leads straight into the property. The farm dates to 1898, and its homestead sits behind cottonwoods and junipers. The deepened pond lies at the south end, where wildlife still stops for water and cover.

For a longer outing, start at the other end of Quincy Avenue. City Hall at 2450 East Quincy Avenue has a High Line Canal map vestibule. From October 19 through November 2, it is also showing Calaveras en Mi Ciudad, eight large papier-mâché skull sculptures, each hand-painted by a Latino artist. The traveling exhibit was founded in 2020 and is curated by Colorado arts leader Alexis Newton. The Cherry Hills Village Art Commission brought it to City Hall, where it can be seen during regular City Hall hours at no charge.

This Saturday, October 24, the Art Commission is holding a free Día de los Muertos Community Event at City Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. It includes hands-on arts and crafts for children, storytime, refreshments, and time with the calaveras. More on the artists is at calaverasenmiciudad.com. John Meade Park at 120 Meade Lane sits right next to City Hall.

The November Dates That Set the Farm's 2027

The East Side projects are still alive. They have moved to the next budget cycle, and that cycle runs through two public meetings next month.

The October 20 City Council agenda included a study session on the 2027 proposed budget and a 2027 Work Plan Discussion. The draft budget proposes $730,000 for park projects. Its Quincy Farm lines are:

• $200,000 carried over for the Quincy Farm Eastside Farm House Rehabilitation Project
• $400,000 labeled "Anderson House"
• $100,000 for a "Hopkins feasibility study and CD's"

The same park projects line includes $30,000 for Woodie Hollow irrigation. The draft work plan also adds conservation easement negotiations and the Quincy Farm 2028 Annual Plan to Public Works' list for 2027.

Two dates are next. The Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission canceled its October 8 meeting and named Thursday, November 12 as its next regular meeting. The City's budget memo schedules the 2027 budget hearing and first reading for Tuesday, November 17.

The canal will change in spring as well. The Conservancy reports that Cherry Hills Village is installing irrigation and replanting along the canal from Belleview Avenue to Hampden Avenue. The plans call for more than 500 new deciduous and conifer trees, and installation and planting continue in spring 2027. That work follows the trail resurfacing on miles 33 to 37, which was finished in 2025.

If you'd like to talk through how projects like these along Quincy Avenue and the canal shape daily life in Cherry Hills Village, Anne Dresser Kocur knows this stretch of the village well and is glad to help. Book an Appointment whenever the timing suits you.