WESTMINSTER —On a street that doesn’t yet exist in south Westminster, bulldozers and other heavy machinery are moving earth and water to create 40 acres of park and open space next to what will be the city’s first commuter rail stop.

Westminster officials say a 300-foot section of Little Dry Creek will be diverted and 300,000 cubic yards of dirt removed to create a 2.3-acre fishing pond and pedestrian-friendly park that will be the centerpiece of a revitalized south Westminster, which planners say will include a mixed-use development acting as an artistic hub.

Once completed, the park will have a 165-foot pedestrian bridge connecting a tunnel acting as a station gateway to the other side of the park. Stone walkways will line the open space and the rerouted creek.

“Right now the creek is highly eroded, and this will put it back into its natural floodplain, making it a naturally sustainable creek in an ecological, urban corridor … there’s a strong urge in urban design to bring nature back into play, and this, we feel, accomplishes that,” said John Burke, a senior engineer for Westminster.

Mayor Pro Tem Bob Briggs said the 40-acre park will offer the city an opportunity to host festivals, concerts and other community events. City leaders say the trip from downtown Denver to Westminster Station on the North Metro Rail Line is expected to take 12 minutes once it begins in mid-2016.

“When you think about Taste of Colorado, for example, they’ve got 5 acres to do it,” Briggs said. “This will be eight times that size … and opens up the entire metro region for attendance.”

The development also ties into a long-running plan to remove sections of the area around 69th Avenue and Hooker Street from an existing floodplain.

“This will allow the flood elevation to be lowered 4 feet, and that removes the existing railroad and proposed commuter rail tracks out of the floodplain while also allowing 11 residential homes, which will remain, to no longer be in the floodplain,” said Andrew Hawthorn, a city engineer.

All told, roughly $71.3 million will be spent by six agencies on projects ranging from replacing a bridge and expanding crowded vehicle lanes on Federal Boulevard to building the actual transit station along with a 600-car parking garage.

Westminster is paying for just under half of those costs and is in preliminary discussions with developers to transform 80 acres of industrial land north of the station into a mixed-use development acting as an artistic hub.

Westminster locals Kevin Eslinger and his wife, Cristy Fernandez, own the Lucky Onion, a Denver-based creative agency focusing on design work. They are in discussions to be one of the first to locate to the new development.

Eslinger said they envision artisanal restaurants, art galleries and brewpubs setting up shop in an area that has economically lagged behind other sections of the city.

“As an artist, it’s a completely blank canvas, and the people who move to that area will have a unique opportunity to determine the culture of south Westminster over the next 10 years,” Eslinger said.

The area has historically been industrial, with many dead end streets. Irving Street and 71st Avenue will become through streets, with Westminster Station Drive an entirely new street running roughly north and south between the parking garage and station.

An up-and-coming art district has taken hold along historic 73rd Avenue. Becky Silver, owner of Aar River Gallery and president of Historic Westminster Art District, said the massive new development will complement, not compete with, surrounding businesses.

“The more the better as far as I’m concerned” Silver said. “We’re in an art district, so we want a lot of art-related businesses — that’s the whole idea. I’m extremely excited to see what this is going to bring to the area.”

Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs