Montbello Landscape Transformation at 56th and Chambers

Open February-March 2026: To help inform project design, a community survey gathered feedback on how neighbors currently use the green space along East 56th Avenue and Chambers Road.

DPR hosted a table at a community event hosted by Environmental Learning for Kids to gather feedback on the landscape transformation project.

Download meeting board 1 (benefits)(PDF, 435KB)

Download meeting board 2 (plant families)(PDF, 641KB)

DPR joined the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge's Nature Play Pop-Up event to share more about the nearby project with event attendees.

Denver Parks and Recreation hosted the first public meeting to provide initial information on this proposed project at the Environmental Learning for Kids education center in Montbello Open Space Park.

Denver Parks & Recreation and other City of Denver staff hosted a public presentation on the proposed E 56th Ave & Chambers Rd Landscape Transformation project. The proposed landscape transformation is located along the south side of the E 56th Ave corridor between Peoria St and Chambers Rd, and along the west side of Chambers Rd between E 56th Ave and E 40th Ave. Denver Parks and Recreation staff were present to discuss project details and answer questions from the community.

Landscape Transformation is the process of replacing water-thirsty bluegrass with a mix of native and climate-adapted plants. These plants require significantly less irrigation water and maintenance, reducing irrigation needs by up to 70% while enhancing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. Strategies have been developed to expand resilient, low-water landscapes in areas that provide limited or no recreational value, such as medians, street sides, steep slopes, pedestrian traffic, and waterways. This shift supports Denver’s long-term sustainability goals and helps build a more resilient urban ecosystem. Learn more at denvergov.org/nature. 

There are several benefits to converting bluegrass to native or climate-adapted plants including:

Water Savings:

• Kentucky bluegrass requires approximately 16 inches of supplemental irrigation per year
• Native or climate-adapted plantings can reduce this amount of irrigation

Maintenance Savings:

Native or climate-adapted plantings require less inputs from the City to be maintained:

• Native areas: mown annually or as needed
• Kentucky bluegrass: mown weekly

Resilience

• Native or climate-adapted plantings are drought-resilient and can become dormant during periods of low to no rainfall.
• Native or climate-adapted plantings will have increased plant root depth, which will increase nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Deep roots help store carbon by depositing organic material deep in the soil, where it remains stable and is less likely to be released during disturbances or fires. Planting native species also improves nutrient cycling. Their extensive root systems break up compacted soil, which allows water and air to penetrate more easily. This increased airflow and moisture boost microbial activity—bacteria and fungi break down organic matter, releasing nutrients for plants. Deep roots can also draw nutrients up from lower layers of the soil, making them available at the surface.

Environmental Benefits

• Increase of pollinator habitat
• Linear habitat or ecosystem connectivity between the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (RMANWR) and the Sand Creek Greenway to the south.

Community Benefits

• Opportunity to celebrate new and existing traditional plant uses (ethnobotanical)
• Access to nature
• Improve water quality by slowing and filtering stormwater. 
• Native plants help improve air quality in several ways. Their deep roots store significant amounts of carbon dioxide, while their leaves filter pollutants such as ozone and sulfur dioxide from the air. Additionally, native plants need to be mowed less often than existing Kentucky bluegrass. Gas-powered mowers make exhaust fumes, which can make poor air quality days worse.

Check out more information on establishment timelines and what to expect during the transition.

The E 56th Ave & Chambers Rd Landscape Transformation Project proposes to convert existing non-functional bluegrass turf to a lower water native grass prairie including some areas of wildflowers and shrubs. (Select native and water-wise plants)

New plants will not be more flammable than the existing Kentucky bluegrass. When native grasses are dormant, they can become brown and dry. The city will use these maintenance strategies to reduce risks:

• Shorter grass species have been specified for this project
• Recycled water irrigation systems will be retrofitted to provide supplemental irrigation to keep grasses healthy
• Grasses will be mowed annually
• Some existing trees will be pruned to reduce ladder fuel risk

Find more information on DPR's wildfire management approach.

Denver Parks and Recreation will hire an ecological consultant team to assist us with the first 3 years to fully establish the landscape. The Gateway Village Improvement District will continue managing portions of Chambers Road landscapes from E 52nd Avenue and Bolling Drive. 

Learn more about the landscape transformation process.

The project is being funded through a grant from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Natural Resource Damages Recovery Fund as well as funding from the Denver Parks Legacy Fund, and Capital Improvement budget of the City and County of Denver. 

Native and water-wise grasses can look less green than traditional Kentucky bluegrass as well as having seedheads and less uniformity in height, color and texture. Diversity in the landscape is a good thing!

Part of native grass establishment requires that we let plants grow and produce flowers and seeds. The landscape will not be mown regularly, but we may use string trimmers or spot mowing to help control weeds.

The native prairie establishment can be a two to three-year process of monitoring, weed management, and reseeding to ensure native plants are established and weeds controlled. 

The E 56th Ave and Chambers Rd project’s focus is on the landscape transformation of existing bluegrass turf to native or climate-adapted plants. The only infrastructure that will be improved as a part of this project will be modification to the existing irrigation system to meet the needs of the proposed landscape. This will not include improvements to sidewalks, benches, dog stations, etc.