The Mesa County Fairgrounds at Veteran’s Memorial Park
is a 93-acre multipurpose special event facility that was established
in the 1940s. In addition to the annual county fair, it hosts numerous
events and activities throughout the year and is the home campus for
the Tri-River CSU Extension Office. The property includes the grandstand,
equestrian center, buildings for indoor events, Little League ball
fields, a BMX track, an arboretum and demonstration gardens. There
are approximately 500 events each year, drawing more than 100,000
attendees.
Area residents also use the fairgrounds as a neighborhood park;
continued pedestrian access from B Road is important to the surrounding
neighborhoods. In the future, as properties to the west develop, bike
and pedestrian access to B 1/4 Road should be added, providing access
to the Orchard Mesa Little League fields and Lions Park.
On December 10, 2012, the Mesa County Board of County Commissioners
adopted the Mesa County Fairgrounds Master Plan. The plan is a road
map for future development of the property. The proposed master plan
includes a new primary circulation road connecting the two Highway
50 Fairgrounds entries. Improvements at the west end of the site include
upgrades to the Orchard Mesa Little League complex and parking area,
relocation and expansion of the BMX venue to create a professional
BMX course, relocated and enlarged Veteran’s Park, relocated
Veteran’s Intermountain Memorial, and expanded paved parking.
Improvements to the east end of the site include additional stall
barns, a new covered arena, a permanent show office and restroom pavilion,
and expanded RV sites. Improvements to the center of the site include
a proposed 5,000-seat indoor event arena with attached 30,000 square
foot divisible exhibition hall and expanded paved parking.
The master plan is proposed to be implemented in phases as funding
becomes available (Figure 11). Work will occur first in the east and
west sections, beginning in 2013. The more expensive event arena and
exhibition hall will be the final phase of the project. The master
plan includes an analysis of economic and fiscal impacts of fairground
operations and development, as well as key benefits of the proposed
improvements. The property is zoned Planned Unit Development (PUD);
the development plan for the site will be updated in 2014 to reflect
the new master plan.
With redevelopment of the fairgrounds, the facility will continue
to be an asset to the residents of Mesa County but will also become
a regional attraction, providing a venue for expanded activities and
events that will draw more visitors to the area. As such, it can serve
as an anchor for the Orchard Mesa community and act as a catalyst
for future development. The Future Land Use Map identifies the surrounding
area as a neighborhood center. The fairgrounds is an amenity to surrounding
Orchard Mesa neighborhoods, but it can also have impacts, such as
noise, traffic and dust. It will be important to address those impacts
while continuing to provide neighborhood access.
Figure 11: Fairgrounds Master Plan
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(Ord. 4629, 5-7-14)