Rodeo Grounds & Chicago Ranch Master Planning

After a pause to work through legal aspects of the Chicago Ranch property ownership, potential annexation, and future maintenance, the Town is (finally) ready to adopt this Master Plan! The Planning & Zoning Commission will consider its adoption at their upcoming March 1st meeting, then the Board of Trustees will formally approve the plan later in March.

About the Master Plan

In the 1880s, water was diverted from Cottonwood Creek to begin irrigating the Chicago Ranch site. In 2020, Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) purchased this parcel with the intention of returning the water flow back into Cottonwood Creek, have it flow through Buena Vista, and down the Arkansas River. After reaching Pueblo the water will flow North through a pipeline, through Colorado Springs, and ultimately be utilized by residents of the TMD located near Monument, Colorado.

Triview’s acquisition of the Chicago Ranch provides a unique opportunity for expansion of open space and recreation opportunities not just for Chicago Ranch, but the town-owned Rodeo Grounds parcel to the north. The Town of Buena Vista invites the community to participate in shaping the future of the Rodeo Grounds and Chicago Ranch. These two parcels, collectively over 600 acres, provide a chance to re-envision this historic property and well-used open space to best serve the Buena Vista community. This collaborative planning process is highly dependent on public input, and we encourage you to provide your feedback through the following survey.

As TMD works through the complicated water rights conversion process that is required in order to be able to use the water from Chicago Ranch, they have engaged consulting firm NES to partner with the Buena Vista community to master plan not only Chicago Ranch, but also the adjacent Rodeo Grounds.

'Master planning' is a process that engages a wide variety of community members and groups in the act of imagining what could be. This 600+ acres is a huge asset to the community, and already provides great benefits in the form of a drone flying park, model airplane air strip, sportsman's club, and of course the rodeo stands and arena itself.

We're asking you to join with us in imagining the future of this property.

This master plan will not necessarily contain the detail needed to actually build anything, but instead it will take your ideas and desires and put them together in a cohesive vision.

Don't worry - these properties will not become a dense housing development! The intent is to continue and strengthen their use as open space and recreational areas.

Scroll down to join in the conversation and provide your input!