Most people who know Orchard Station Park know it as the way to the train. The small green space next to the Orchard light-rail stop is where riders reach the Orchard Station pedestrian bridge. The 2026 renovation is meant to make it a place where people also stay. Before crews graded the pond or ran irrigation, they drilled caissons and poured a concrete sound wall along the highway.
The park is co-owned by the Goldsmith Metropolitan District and the City of Greenwood Village. The district's project page lists three goals: a sound wall along I-25, a new pond with seating, and landscape upgrades. The wall comes first on that list, and it went in first.
The build order, from the district's own log
Goldsmith posted a running construction update log. Read from start to finish, it shows a project that had to finish its heaviest work before anything visible could happen.
| Dates in 2026 | Work logged by Goldsmith |
|---|---|
| March 19 | Potholing to verify utilities |
| June 3 | More potholing and utility locates |
| June 8 | Mobilization begins |
| June 11 | Construction fence installation begins |
| June 17 to 25 | Demolition and grading |
| June 22 to 25 | Heavier truck traffic for equipment and material deliveries |
| June 25 to 26 | Caisson drilling over two days |
| July 2 to 15 | Forming the sound wall |
| July 17 and July 24 | First and second concrete pours |
| July 31 to August 6 | Backfill and grading around the sound wall |
| August 7 to 24 | Irrigation, pond grading, storm sewer replacement, underground electrical scheduled to begin |
| September 24 to October 2 | Sidewalk along DTC Parkway closed to pedestrians |
The table also explains a date that has confused some riders. RTD's March 24 notice described a six-month project starting March 26. The district's log shows only a day of utility potholing in March. Mobilization started June 8, and the project page gives June 2026 as the construction start with an estimated completion of October 2026. RTD's alert also describes two phases. The first included the sound wall, with crews keeping access open when they could. The park closes in the second phase, which covers landscaping, walkways, the pond and the seating area.
Why the wall had to come first
According to Goldsmith, the sound wall is there to cut highway noise and make the park more pleasant to use. The rest of the plan depends on it. A pond with seating is the feature that asks people to slow down, and it needs a quieter edge along I-25 to work.
The caissons went in during the last week of June. The wall forms took most of the first half of July, and two concrete pours followed a week apart. Crews didn't start backfilling and grading around the finished wall until the last days of July. Pond grading and irrigation started only in August. In other words, the deep structural work by the highway was done before the shaping of the park's interior began.
The landscaping solicitation the district published in April shows what the second phase was bid to include. The listed scope covers erosion control, demolition, grading, concrete, electrical and lighting, a water feature, irrigation, trees, shrubs, perennials and turf, a shade structure, site furnishings and sculpture. Lighting, a shade structure and furnishings all point to a park built for people who stay a while, not just pass through.
What the redesign keeps
The plan doesn't start over. Goldsmith's page says the upgrades are meant to keep the site's best features: pedestrian pathways, passive recreation areas, most mature trees and open lawn. The new planting beds, grass areas and "extensive tree canopy" are described as keeping the park's open, natural feel.
For someone who used the park as a shortcut, that matters. The paths that led to the pedestrian bridge are among the features the district chose to keep. What changes is everything along those paths: the noise from I-25, a pond where there wasn't one, and more planting and shade.
Who is building it, and where they work
Goldsmith Metropolitan District isn't a parks department in the usual sense. On its metropolitan district explainer, the district describes itself as a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision created under Colorado's Special District Act, with authority to finance, build and sometimes operate public infrastructure and services. Its services page says it provides parks, trails, open space and landscaping for the Denver Technological Center.
Its district map puts its boundaries between I-225 and Orchard Road, and between I-25 and George Wallace Park and Yosemite Street, plus a separate area along Monaco Street. Greenwood Village co-owns the park, so a project funded and managed by a DTC special district also changes a public space inside the city limits.
The district board meets in public. Its October 13 agenda listed a Manager's Update, and the same agenda set the next meeting for November 10, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Project news from the manager will be posted there and on the construction log.
Getting to the platform during construction
Train service at Orchard Station was never part of the project. RTD said light rail service wouldn't be affected. The E and R lines both stop at Orchard, with Belleview to the north and Arapahoe at Village Center and Dry Creek to the south. The E line runs from Union Station to RidgeGate Parkway. The R line runs from RidgeGate Parkway to Peoria.
The thing that changes during construction is the walk to the platform. Goldsmith's page says access to the Orchard light-rail stop is closed while construction lasts, keeps pedestrian access along DTC Parkway open, and posts alternate routes. RTD's alert tells riders to follow posted detours around the edge of the construction site to and from the Orchard Station pedestrian bridge. RTD's service alerts page has the current Orchard Station notice.
Riders who don't want the detour can use DTC FlexRide, which both Goldsmith and RTD point to. Here is how it works now:
- Where it goes. RTD's DTC FlexRide page lists service to Arapahoe, Belleview, Dry Creek, North and South Inverness, Meridian, Orchard and Lone Tree.
- When it runs. Weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is no Sunday or holiday service. RTD's March notice listed shorter weekday hours, so the service page above is the one to go by.
- How to book. Reservations open up to 30 days ahead and can be made as little as 10 minutes before pickup. Recurring trips can be booked 90 days out. You can book on the desktop app, the smartphone app, or by phone at 303-299-6000.
- What it costs. A standard 3-hour pass is $2.75, the discounted fare is $1.35, and riders 19 and under ride free.
Since FlexRide doesn't run on Sundays or holidays, Sunday and holiday trips to Orchard Station depend on the posted walking detour whenever it's in place. FlexRide also reaches Belleview and Arapahoe at Village Center. Both are on the same E and R lines, so a FlexRide trip to either one still gets a rider onto the same train.
The dates on the calendar
Goldsmith's posted estimate for finishing the park was October 2026. The most recent entry in its construction log covers the DTC Parkway sidewalk closure from September 24 to October 2. The district board meets next on November 10 at 9:00 a.m. The district's project page and construction log are the two places where it posts the park's progress. RTD's alerts page carries the station access notice.
If you live in Greenwood Village or the DTC, a light-rail walk and a quiet park nearby both shape what a home is like to live in. If you're thinking about how changes like this affect a home near Orchard, Belleview or Arapahoe at Village Center, Wadsworth Property Group is glad to talk it through. Request a Free Home Valuation & Consultation, and Nicole will bring the same street-level detail to your home.
