Home > About Us > Master Plan

Master Plan

What is a Master Plan?

A master plan for any large event venue is a comprehensive, long-term planning document that outlines the vision, goals, and strategies for the development and management of the facility. This plan typically covers various aspects, including land use, infrastructure, operations, and community engagement. It serves as a roadmap for the sustainable and strategic growth of the venue over several years or even decades.

Key Components of a Master Plan:

Vision and Goals:
- Establish the overall vision for the venue, including its purpose, identity, and role within the community.
- Set specific goals related to economic development, community engagement, and cultural or educational initiatives.
Site Analysis:
- Conduct a thorough analysis of the current state of the venue, including land use, infrastructure, existing facilities, and natural features.
- Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges.
Land Use and Zoning:
- Plan for the optimal use of land, including the layout of different zones for specific activities such as entertainment, agriculture, exhibitions, parking, and green spaces.
- Consider future expansion needs and potential changes in land use.
Infrastructure and Facilities:
- Assess the current infrastructure (roads, utilities, drainage systems) and plan for upgrades or new developments.
- Include plans for the construction, renovation, or demolition of buildings and other facilities to meet future needs.
Traffic and Transportation:
- Develop strategies for managing vehicular and pedestrian traffic, including parking, public transportation access, and safety measures.
Environmental Considerations:
- Address environmental sustainability, including the preservation of green spaces, waste management, energy efficiency, and water conservation.
Economic Impact and Feasibility:
- Analyze the economic impact of the venue on the local economy, including revenue generation, job creation, and tourism.
- Assess the financial feasibility of proposed developments and identify potential funding sources.
Implementation Strategy:
- Outline a phased approach to implementing the master plan, including short-term, medium-term, and long-term projects.
- Establish timelines, budget estimates, and responsible parties for each phase.

A master plan for a fairgrounds ensures that the development is well-organized, meets the needs of various stakeholders, and contributes positively to the community over the long term.

Why Do A Master Plan?

We don’t have to change, but we have to compete with those that do, so we must educate ourselves on the needs of our regional market, how we fit in and decide how to scale responsibly to meet the needs of our growing community.

Market & Utilization Study

The first part of a Master Plan the purpose of the study is to identify the performance of the Washington County Expo in Brenham, Texas, understand how the county compares to communities in the regional market and finally, based on this analysis, draw conclusions that identify where opportunities exist to increase business at the Expo and to identify areas where the facility needs to be upgraded.

Current Facility

Current & Comps

Current needs a major remodel, often compared to Brazos & Belton Counties.

Plan Sections

This section contains a summery of key sections from the Markert & Utilization Study

Full Plan

Final Market & Utilization Study

Visitor Data

Visitor Overview

Over 177,000 people a year visit the Expo grounds every year

Local Impact

We have the potential to generate an impact of more than a billion dollars for the Washington County Community.

Convention/ Cattle/ Equestrian Market Trends

Equine & Livestock Trends

Meeting & Convention Trends

The equestrian and cattle industries are booming in our region and Texas as whole. The Meeting & Convention industry was identified to be underserved in our area, even though we have many of attributes that planners are looking for.

Key Questions that we asked

What is the market opportunity for a renovation or expansion of the Washington County Expo?
- The Washington County Expo is a historic venue that does present the opportunity to become a destination hub for regional livestock and equine shows.

What type of facilities are most desired by current and potential new users?
- An enclosed arena, a secondary arena for warm-up purposes, and a minimum of 400 stalls.

Can the facility generate revenue on the weekdays?
- Yes, there is a large local draw for events on weekdays with the given event space.

Are Livestock and Equestrian Associations interested in an expansion or renovation of the current Expo facility?
- Some groups of expressed interest; however, there would need to be penetration into the current annual rotation of facilities across Texas.

How well do the recommended facilities fit on the existing site?
- The existing site could accommodate the recommended facilities, albeit in an inefficient manner and parking would remain a challenge

Does it make more sense to relocate the Washington County Expo to another site?

Site Recommendations & Estimated Project Costs

Estimated Project Costs

Project costs are estaminets of each potential improvement and are used to evaluate their feasibility and to assist in scalable and financially responsible growth. They are not reflective of current commitments.

Convergence Designed analyzed the Project recommendations and developed high-level project costs for the Project.

These project costs assume the renovation of the current Expo site of 42 acres.

The total project costs for developing the Washington County Expo at the current site is estimated to be $141.3 million. Construction costs are estimated to be $112.7 million and soft costs are estimated to be $28.6 million.

These costs are considerably less than the total project costs of developing the recommended build-out of a new site. Additionally, there are buildings currently on site that only need renovation and not a total rebuild. However, due to the current site parameters, there is no acreage to develop RV spots.

Washington County Expo Order of Magnitude Cost Estimate (Fairgrounds Site)

Feature	Arena Size (SF)	Build Type	Gross Area	Unit.	Construction Cost	Soft Cost	Total Poject Cost
Show Arenas
Main Arena	38,500	Enclosed & Climate Controlled	77,000	GSF	$30,800,000	$7,700,000	$38,500,000
Warm-up Arena	26,400	Unenclosed	26,400	GSF	$1,100,000	$300,000	$1,400,000
Secondary Arena	31,500	Covered & Open Air Concept	36,225	GSF	$7,300,000	$1,900,000	$9,200,000
Total	96,400	--			$39,200,000	$9,900,000	$49,100,000
Feature	Count	Build Type	Gross Area	Unit	Construction Cost	Soft Cost	Total Poject Cost
Animal Stalls
Horse Stalls	300	Covered & Open Air Concept	69,120	GSF	$3,400,000	$900,000	$4,300,000
Large Animal Pens	300	Covered & Open Air Concept	69,120	GSF	$2,400,000	$600,000	$3,000,000
Small Animal Pens	250	Covered & Open Air Concept	14,400	GSF	$1,500,000	$400,000	$1,900,000
Cattle Tie Stalls	850	Covered & Open Air Concept	935	EA	$1,500,000	$400,000	$1,900,000
Total	1,700	--			$8,800,000	$2,300,000	$11,100,000
Feature	Size (SF)	Build Type	Gross Area	Unit	Construction Cost	Soft Cost	Total Poject Cost
Function Space
Exhibit Hall Space	30,000	--	54,000	GSF	$18,900,000	$4,800,000	$23,700,000
Ballroom Space	20,000	--	45,000	GSF	$20,300,000	$5,100,000	$25,400,000
Meeting Room Space	10,000	--	21,000	GSF	$8,400,000	$2,100,000	$10,500,000
Total	60,000	--	120,000		$47,600,000	$12,000,000	$59,600,000
Feature	Size (SF) / Count	Build Type	Gross Area	Unit	Construction Cost	Soft Cost	Total Poject Cost

Support Cattle Building	100 pens	Covered & Open Air Concept	23,040	GSF	$1,200,000	$300,000	$1,500,000
Food Court Structure	9,000	Covered & Open Air Concept	10,350	GSF	$2,100,000	$600,000	$2,700,000
Ampitheater	--	Outdoor & Uncovered	2,500	pax	$8,800,000	$2,200,000	$11,000,000
Parking	2,333	Surface Parking	2,333	PS	$5,000,000	$1,300,000	$6,300,000
RV Spots	75 spots	With Full RV Hookups	75	sites	-	-	-
Total	--	--	--	--	$17,100,000	$4,400,000	$21,500,000
GRAND TOTAL					$112,700,000	$28,600,000	$141,300,000

Source: Hunden Partners, Covergence Design

Facility Condition Assessment

A Facility Condition Assessments (FCA) evaluates the physical condition of a building, including its infrastructure, systems, and finishes, to identify deficiencies and prioritize repairs. By conducting a thorough assessment, of the current facilities that assigns a value to the current state of each building to assist in making the informed decision on the structures future.

Meeting Request & Feedback

Please let us know your thoughts or if you have a question we will be more than happy get back to you within 2 business days. If you would like to sit down learn more or have our Director come speak with your social club please reach out.

Feedback

Meeting Request

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Sign me up for email updates

Phone Number

General Q & A

Question

First Name

Last Name

How can we contact you?

Please leave your email or phone number

Submit