Douglas County approves $2.23 million for Parker park expansion

Douglas County put $2,231,026.01 in parks tax revenue behind Parker’s next big recreation buildout, approving a municipal shareback allocation that will help fund phase two of Salisbury Park North. The county approved the money at its April 28 business meeting, turning a voter-backed tax stream into a concrete expansion that Parker families are expected to use every day.

The money is aimed at visible improvements, not a paper promise. Parker’s phase two plans call for lighted pickleball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, an inclusive playground, a splash pad, a community hub, a bike park, restrooms and parking. Parker Recreation’s capital project materials go further, listing two lighted tennis courts striped for four additional pickleball courts, 17 lighted pickleball courts, a community hub pavilion, an outdoor fitness area, a bike pump track, a bike skills course, picnic pavilions, storage, landscaping and utility infrastructure. The project is still being designed, and the final scope will depend on funding and competitive bidding results.

The allocation sits inside Douglas County’s 2022 voter-approved tax structure, which extended a 1994 sales-and-use tax and continues to direct revenue to parks, trails, historic resources, open-space acquisition and maintenance. Under that system, each municipality can receive a shareback allocation, giving Parker flexibility to keep Salisbury Park North moving now rather than waiting for a future funding cycle. County officials have already pointed to the same funding stream for other growth-area projects in Lone Tree, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch, underscoring how county park dollars are being spread across the communities growing fastest.

Salisbury Park North is not a new idea. Parker says the Salisbury Equestrian Park and Sports Complex already covers nearly 160 acres, and the town owns another 91 acres north of the existing park for expansion. Town Council approved a master plan for the site in 2014, setting the groundwork for the phased buildout now taking shape. Town materials describe phase two as part of a longer Salisbury Regional Park expansion that could later add a community hub pavilion, outdoor fitness area, bike park and overlook pavilion.

The April allocation also follows a larger September 2025 county parks package that included $7.5 million for Salisbury Regional Park in Parker and $7.5 million for High Note Regional Park in Lone Tree. Douglas County described that package as its most significant parks-and-open-space investment in county history. For Parker, the payoff is straightforward: more courts, more youth sports space, more family recreation and a park system that is expanding in step with the town’s growth.