Boulder County seeks community input on conceptual site plans for fairgrounds update

Over the last 41 years, the Boulder County Fairgrounds has grown from a site singularly focused on hosting the Boulder County Fair to a multi-purpose venue supporting a wide variety of community events.

While the fairgrounds is still home to the Boulder County Fair, it now hosts 1,500 annual events drawing over 400,000 visitors. It also operates as an evacuation center in times of disaster.

Even as the use of the fairgrounds has dramatically increased in recent years, the facilities have not received any significant updates since 1978 when Boulder County completed its last Fairgrounds Master Plan. Since that time, the fairgrounds have seen some minor additions, remodels, and groundwork across the site's 80 acres and 15 buildings.

On March 8, Boulder County held a virtual public meeting to present three conceptual site plans as part of the newest Fairgrounds Master Plan.

Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin noted that community involvement has been key to the process. "We want to make sure that residents throughout Boulder County have an opportunity to give input in this process for all events that can be hosted at this site," she said.

Boulder County's latest Fairgrounds Master Plan seeks to establish a roadmap for the future of the fairgrounds - specifically looking at how it can best meet the needs of the County and residents in the next 20+ years. The two focuses identified by the County are addressing the needs of the aging buildings and facilities as well as exploring the potential of the grounds serving as a year-round park space.

Based on a market analysis study, user input, and a comparison of comparable facilities, Boulder County identified the following potential opportunities to improve the fairgrounds:

• Improve the overall functionality of the fairgrounds, including circulation and wayfinding.
• Relocate barns/livestock facilities to improve the functionality of the site and to replace the aging structures.
• Develop a new column-free, concrete-floor facility addition connected to the existing Exhibit Building. This space would include meeting rooms and support spaces.
• Develop a new indoor arena with support spaces and near animal support spaces (stalls, pens, warm-up areas, etc.).
• Expand RV parking by 30%, update to modern RV standards, and develop a new shower/restroom facility.
• Increase the number of horse stalls by a minimum of 25%.
• House administrative and office space to support existing uses.
• Develop additional support spaces (e.g., restrooms, storage, entry gate, etc.) and improve infrastructure (Wi-Fi coverage, lighting, utilities, landscaping, etc.).

To that end, the county has submitted three conceptual site plans, designed in partnership with the architectural group Design Workshop, each taking a slightly different approach to the fairgrounds layout and redesign. Loachamin noted that one of these three concepts will be selected to help guide the final Master Plan.

On the conservative end of the spectrum, Concept 1builds on the fairgrounds' existing layout, keeping most existing structures in place with renovations and expansions, including increasing the size of the RV lot. This plan calls for a new addition on the Exhibit Building and would relocate the farmers market to face Nelson Road.

Concept 2 keeps a similar layout as the first concept but adds more modern facility footprints in terms of size. This plan calls for combining the footprints of several of the existing facilities as well as rebuilding the arena and grandstand. Similar to the first plan, this concept moves the farmers market to the Nelson Road side of the property. RV spaces would be expanded by adding a second lot near Boston Avenue.

The most radical conceptual plan, Concept 3, reimagines the fairgrounds entirely with a significant shift in building locations and design based on an idealized final layout that takes into account future adjacent developments. In addition to significant updates to the barns, grandstand and arenas, this plan proposes rebuilding the farmers market in the parking lot along Boston Avenue where the RV lot would also be located.

As part of the Master Plan process, Boulder County is currently seeking community input both on the proposed conceptual plans as well as on what users want to see. The county asks people to consider what is working well at the fairgrounds and what should be changed.

The deadline to submit feedback is March 31, and responses can be submitted online A third community meeting to review the final Master Plan is slated for sometime in June 2022.