(Formerly Oasis Park)

Galloway was selected by the City of Commerce City to provide site analysis, site selection, high-level conceptual design, and construction documentation for CALU Neighborhood Park, located within the Second Creek Open Space. Easily accessible to residents of the neighboring Buffalo Highlands community, the park offers much-needed passive and active recreation opportunities along with welcoming community gathering spaces. The vision was to create a true “oasis” where visitors can rest, rejuvenate, and recreate.

Uniquely situated next to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, CALU Park offers natural amenities beyond the typical neighborhood park. Its location presents opportunities for wildlife viewing, environmental education, and enhanced connectivity to regional open space.

Galloway partnered with the City to lead community engagement efforts that informed the park’s design and secured public support. Visual preference surveys helped align design solutions with the community’s desires and the City’s goal of creating an inclusive, thoughtful park experience. In parallel, Galloway provided design development and amenity planning for trail improvements along the adjacent Second Creek Open Space corridor.

Working closely with the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Golf department as well as the Buffalo Highlands neighborhood, Galloway designed a park that reflects the community’s priorities. Emphasizing diversity, trail connectivity, and inclusive recreation in alignment with the City’s Parks Master Plan, the team delivered a dynamic park layout featuring:

• A hillside play area with an embankment slide and climbing structures
• Terraced landscaping and shaded picnic areas
• A multi-use recreation field
• A plumbed restroom
• An outdoor educational garden highlighting native plants and local artists
• A playground for children of all ages
• A shaded picnic shelter
• An open lawn for informal play and relaxation
• Fitness Stations & Shaded Seating
• Direct access to the Second Creek Trail and regional trail network

Given the site’s proximity to a regional floodway, Galloway collaborated with the Army Corps of Engineers and environmental consultants to minimize development impacts and preserve the native ecosystem. The team designed streamside seating areas for passive recreation and wildlife viewing, while ensuring protection of the natural streambank and water flows.

Key Services:

• Park amenities and open space design
• Trail amenities design
• Site planning
• Municipal & jurisdictional coordination
• Community engagement
• Entitlement support
• Landscape architecture services
• Water-conserving landscape & irrigation design

Note: “Oasis Park” was the interim name for this project. It has since been officially named “CALU Park,” an acronym honoring the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota, and Ute Native American tribes.