Doggett Ford Park

Market analysis revealed declining revenue from traditional arena programming and a growing opportunity in youth sports tourism and leisure-based destination development. The repositioning strategy focuses on capturing consistent, multi-day visitation rather than episodic events.

The existing arena is proposed to be converted into a multi-court sports facility capable of hosting basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, and other court competitions throughout the year. Combined with the mature success of the youth baseball complex, this expansion strengthens Ford Park’s role as a regional sports hub.

To retain more of the economic impact generated by tournaments and travel sports, the master plan introduces a 100,000 square foot indoor waterpark and family entertainment center adjacent to a family-oriented hotel. This addition ensures that visitor demand translates into direct revenue for Jefferson County rather than being exported to surrounding markets.

The redevelopment addresses both economic growth and infrastructure challenges.

A centrally located detention basin resolves long-standing flooding concerns while doubling as a major public amenity. The basin is fully integrated into the guest experience with walking paths, a fountain show, concert boardwalks, and a retail and restaurant promenade.

The YMBL Midway has been reimagined as a carnival around the lake, with permanent infrastructure to support the annual fair and rodeo while modernizing its environment. Each component of the site is designed to reinforce the performance of the others, creating a cohesive destination rather than isolated facilities.

A complete development timeline, expense burn schedule, and revenue proforma were created to support the long-term ground lease structure. Phasing was carefully structured to allow existing operations to continue during construction, with milestone deadlines coordinated around major scheduled events.

Operational Readiness and Training planning was embedded into the schedule to allow adequate time for staffing, testing, and soft openings prior to launch. Because future bookings will already be secured during construction, delivering on those commitments is critical to long-term success.

Revenue modeling was developed alongside experienced entertainment operators with data from more than 25 comparable venues. The proforma balances market realism with long-term opportunity, guiding decisions on facility sizing, program mix, and capital deployment. The result is a calibrated redevelopment strategy designed to maximize return to Jefferson County over the full term of the ground lease.