Kinston Commons Breaks Ground, Creating More Ways to Play, Gather and Connect
LOVELAND, Colorado (September 29, 2026) — Kinston celebrated the groundbreaking of the next phase of Kinston Commons, marking an exciting step forward for a place designed to bring neighbors together.
The project builds on the community spaces surrounding the Kinston Hub, including the splash pad, demonstration gardens and event lawn. The next phase will bring an inclusive playground, four pickleball courts, a basketball court, two pools, restrooms and a poolside snack shack.
Together, these new amenities will give residents more ways to spend time outside, stay active and connect with one another close to home. Kinston Commons is intended to become the kind of place people can enjoy without needing a special occasion, whether they’re meeting friends for pickleball, spending an afternoon at the pool or taking the family to the playground.
Places like these are often described as a “third place,” somewhere that isn’t home or work, but still feels like part of your routine. Third places don’t necessarily require an invitation or a plan. They’re the places you can simply show up. These places are where kids find someone to play with, neighbors meet for a game, families spend a summer afternoon, and a familiar face gradually becomes a friend.
As neighborhoods have changed over time, many of those informal gathering places have become harder to find. Kinston Commons is designed to bring more of them closer to home.
That spirit of connection was already on display at the groundbreaking, where Kinston residents, Centerra team members and community partners gathered to celebrate what’s ahead. Guests enjoyed bites and refreshments from The Hub café after Jeff Breidenbach, Director of Land Development at Centerra, shared remarks and joined the ceremonial shovel moment officially marking the start of the next phase of Kinston Commons.
Designed with the Whole Kinston Community In Mind
One of the highlights of the first phase is the new inclusive playground, designed to bring people of different ages and abilities together through play. Rather than creating separate experiences for different users, the playground has accessible routes, multiple entry points and a range of play experiences throughout one connected space.
Designed for everyone from toddlers taking their first steps into play to older children, teens, parents and grandparents, the playground will offer different levels of challenge that allow people to explore and participate in their own way. A custom climbable Earthscape Bear, inspired by the bear sculpture currently at the Hub, will create a playful connection between the new space and a familiar community landmark. A hill slide will incorporate the landscape itself into the experience, while an accessible seesaw will give people with different abilities an opportunity to play together, alongside climbing, swinging, spinning and ground-level activities throughout the space.
The playground is designed to become a natural gathering place, bringing friends, families and neighbors together through play.
That same idea of creating different reasons to show up and spend time together carries throughout Kinston Commons. Four pickleball courts and a basketball court will create new opportunities for planned games and impromptu matches with neighbors.
The two pools are intentionally designed for different experiences, too. One will offer a heated, resort-style setting to lounge and relax, while the other will provide more room for active recreation. Together, they’ll give residents options for how they want to enjoy the space, something residents have told us is important to them.
The playground and sport courts are anticipated to open first, with completion expected in late spring 2027. The pools and supporting facilities will follow, with plans to welcome residents for the 2028 pool season.
Growing Alongside Kinston
Kinston Commons is being developed in phases, allowing the campus to evolve alongside our community. Following the outdoor recreation and pool amenities, we’re planning to add the fitness and clubhouse building, creating another place to gather, move and spend time together. Additional details will be shared as those plans progress.
“The places that make a neighborhood feel like home are often the ones where nothing has to be planned. You run into someone at the pool, your kids find each other at the playground or a quick game turns into a weekly tradition. That’s what we want Kinston Commons to create; more opportunities for those everyday connections to become part of life here,” said Jeff Breidenbach, Director of Land Development at Centerra.
The groundbreaking marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Kinston Commons. Stay tuned for updates as the vision comes to life!
