DENVER – The city of Denver is aiming to wrap up a major redevelopment of the National Western Center quicker than initially planned.
When officials announced plans for the complex several years ago, they estimated the project would take a decade to complete. But according to a Denver City Council presentation, planners now hope to have phases one and two finished seven years from now, in 2024.
Plans for the complex include a number of facilities and open spaces meant to make the National Western Center a destination not just for the National Western Stock Show but for events year-round.
Colorado State University is a partner in the project and will build an equine sports medicine facility and a water resource center on the site.
Plans also call for new livestock and equestrian centers and stockyards, open space along the river and a number of infrastructure changes, such as new bridges across the South Platte River and a realignment of rail lines that currently run through the site.
The city is still in the process of acquiring some of the land needed to make the project a reality. The development timeline shows construction of some of the new facilities could begin as soon as 2018.
The city’s capital budget for phases 1 and 2 of the project is $765 million.
