The 130-acre National Western Complex is located at the historic site of the Denver Union Stockyards Company three miles north of downtown Denver. The existing Complex, which is owned by the City of Denver (City) and is currently programmed, operated and managed by the Western Stock Show Association (WSSA), has hosted the National Western Stock Show annually since 1906.
In 2013, the City, WSSA, Colorado State University and others reached an agreement to cooperate in the planning and redevelopment of the existing facilities. In 2015, a Master Plan consisting of eight distinct phases was completed and adopted by City Council. In November 2015, Denver voters passed a measure authorizing funding for implementation of Phase 1 and 2 of the Master Plan which is currently underway. Phases 3-8 of the Master Plan, known as the Triangle, encompass 60 acres and is slated to include a new arena, a new expo hall, rehabilitation of the historic 1909 Building as well as other assets and amenities.
Crossroads was hired by the City to conduct a market and economic analysis that assessed potential market demand opportunities and provided a baseline operating and financial model for the proposed new Expo Hall to be developed as part of the Triangle. Our scope of work included reviewing previous studies; profiling market attributes; analyzing historical operations; conducting interviews and market surveys with stakeholders and user groups; analyzing data from competitive/comparable facilities; developing market-supportable building program recommendations including short and long-term options; estimating potential usage; and developing a financial model for the proposed new Expo Hall.
An RFQ soliciting a private developer to design, build, financial, operate and maintain the Triangle to complete the 250-acre National Western Center Campus was issued in March 2019 and the selection process is currently underway.
