Colorado Springs is starting the process to plan and reopen Stratton Park with a neighborhood meeting tonight.

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department is holding the neighborhood meeting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center, 2120 South Cheyenne Canyon Road. The meeting will start with a presentation on the nearby park’s history and gather ideas about what people living near Stratton Park want to see there in the future.

Stratton Park, also known as Cheyenne Park or the Stratton Neighborhood Park, was dedicated in 1902 after being purchased by William Scott Stratton. The area was bought by the Philanthropic Educational Organization in 1966 and used as a house for members for decades.

In 2021 the Colorado Springs City Council voted to purchase the 8.48 acres of land for $2.3 million to turn it back into a neighborhood park. At the time, the city had an agreement with the nonprofit Golden Lotus Foundation to turn one of the buildings at the park into an Asian heritage center as part of the purchase.

The city website says the master plan for revitalizing Stratton Park will be worked on through the spring of 2025. The city’s goal is to begin reopening the park to the public in 2026.