In March, Chris Lieber presented the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds and Chicago Ranch Master Plan to the Buena Vista Board of Trustees. This long range planning project provides a 20+ year vision for the two parcels. This is NES’s first project with the Town of Buena Vista.
About the Project: 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.
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. This collaborative planning process was highly dependent on public input.