In September Denver Urban Review took a look at the upgrades to the Colorado Convention Center that have been presented to Denver voters in the 2C package that will be on the November 3rd ballot. The 2C package also includes upgrades to the National Western Center, which will be the focus of this article.

The National Western Center has been home to the annual National Western Stock Show which was first held in 1906. The 10,000 seat Denver Coliseum opened in 1952 and is the largest venue at the site. The 106-year-old Stadium Arena, a facility where livestock is featured includes 4,200 seats, is also on site. This complex is located at I-70 and Brighton Boulevard. The facility sits at the northeast end of Denver’s eclectic RiNo neighborhood where several residential, retail, and office projects are under construction.

The RTD commuter rail line that will provide service between Denver’s Union Station and Denver International Airport will have a stop at 38th and Blake Street. This stop will be located approximately six blocks from the National Western Center. Trains will run every 15 minutes during peak hours. Trains are currently being tested on this line that will open in 2016.

Some feel that the aging infrastructure and facilities at the National Western Center are in need of upgrades to retain and attract future events.

“This is truly a smart deal for Denver,” said Mayor Hancock. “The National Western Center plan is our opportunity to keep the stock show in Denver and make it thrive for another century. With the voters’ support, we’ll reinvent the National Western as a year-­round destination for entertainment and tourism. We’ll partner with Colorado State University to establish Denver as a global center for agricultural research and agribusiness development and we’ll restore the historic neighborhoods that built the city we are all proud to call home.”

If the vote passes, this measure would extend a voter approved Denver hotel and car rental tax that passed in 1999 that is set to expire in 2023.

A Smart Deal for Denver, a group that advocates the approval of 2C states that the tax extension would raise the millions needed for upgrades at the National Western Complex in concert with funding from Colorado State University, the state of Colorado, and the Western Stock Show Association.

The proposed upgrades feature a partnership with CSU. The proposal includes a new state-of-the art equine science center, and new and upgraded facilities to house space for the study of livestock and agribusiness for students and staff of CSU. In August the CSU Board of Governors approved a resolution in support of of this Denver ballot measure.

“For 109 years CSU has had a wonderful partnership with the National Western Stock Show and we think the best is yet to come, said William E. Mosher, Chair of the CSU Board of Governors.

Editors note:

I want to hear what your thoughts are on the proposed upgrades. Would tax payer money spent on the National Western Center be a good investment for Denver? Let me know what you think in the comments section.