By focusing on three strategic pillars—business growth, environmental restoration, and community amenities like housing—Colorado Outdoors is delivering meaningful, measurable impact for the city, its residents, and the region as a whole.
Driving Business Growth and Economic Diversification
The economy in Montrose, CO has long leaned on agriculture, energy, tourism and recreation. Colorado Outdoors is helping diversify that base further with new opportunities for manufacturing, distribution, outdoor-industry relocation, and service-oriented businesses.
New Companies, New Jobs
In our 2024 Community & Economic Impact report, the Colorado Outdoors campus added 240 jobs in 2024 alone and welcomed multiple new businesses. We have intentionally designed the campus to attract likeminded businesses: outdoor-industry manufacturing companies, businesses with a mind for sustainability, and mountain-town businesses looking for expansion opportunities.
Strategic Advantage for Businesses
By locating within Colorado Outdoors, companies gain:
A master-planned, flexible campus with modern infrastructure, ready for manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, offices, showrooms or mixed uses.
Regional access to talent and workforce enhanced by the lifestyle appeal of Montrose: living near your work, access to beauty of the San Juans, and a community mindset.
Positioning in an Opportunity Zone and in a region prioritizing outdoor recreation/industrial growth, which adds strategic business advantages.
Local support for business relocation and expansion via municipal synergy and development-partner alignment.
Regional Economic Effects
The ripple effects for Montrose are significant: new jobs increase the region’s tax base, new businesses raise the profile of the region, and business diversification strengthens resilience against a tourism or agriculture-only dependency. Furthermore, as part of the outdoor economy—which generated $17.2 billion and 132,500 jobs in Colorado in 2023—Montrose is gaining a platform to capture growth in gear manufacturing, outdoor service companies, and distribution.
Creating a Live-Work-Play Community
Housing, Amenities & Trails
The Colorado Outdoors master plan covers approximately 165 acres along the Uncompahgre River, including open space, trails, modern housing units, retail and office space. A key portion of this area includes 41 acres set aside for conservation of the river corridor, wetlands and riparian habitat. And in summer 2024, we celebrated the opening of the ADA-accessible Flex Park, which has become a hub for families, everyday recreation, and events like our Annual Block Party.
Quality of Life
The blending of career development, business growth, community, and recreation supports recruitment and retention of talent, helps local families, and encourages a more vibrant day-to-day life in Montrose. For example: employees of a company relocating to Colorado Outdoors might live minutes from work, enjoy outdoor access (fly-fishing, trail running, kayaking), dine locally and feel community-connected. That makes Montrose more attractive for both employers and employees.
Hospitality and Retail Growth
The campus is not just business and residential. The hospitality and retail sectors is growing too. In 2024, we welcomed a 90-room Fairfield Inn & Suites, a major investment in local tourism and hospitality infrastructure. Retail spaces such as the Rivers Edge development (coming soon!), as well as restaurant concepts like Shelter Distilling, Toasty All Day Eatery, and Trattoria Di Sofia build service-employment and visitor-traffic growth.
Housing Access
By developing mixed-use residential and commercial areas, Colorado Outdoors is helping address workforce-housing needs. We are proud to enable local workers to live near employment, thereby reducing commuter distances. Directly on the Colorado Outdoors campus lies Basecamp, featuring apartments, townhomes, and riverside duplexes.
Fairfield Inn & Suites under construction in spring 2023
Shelter Distilling under construction in winter 2023
Environmental Stewardship and Restoration
We believe that business growth and community development must go hand-in-hand with taking care of the environment around us. Colorado Outdoors is deliberately weaving in conservation, river restoration, trails and open space to preserve and elevate Montrose’s natural landscape.
River Corridor and Trails
Our primary focus is the revitalization of the Uncompahgre River corridor. With the help of a $4.7M investment in river restoration and trails, a 5.5-mile stretch of the Uncompahgre flowing through Montrose has earned the Colorado Quality Waters designation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Conservation and Economic Value
By preserving open space, protecting riparian zones and building integrated trails, Colorado Outdoors is creating a dual benefit: ecological protection and increased value for Montrose. Developments that incorporate outdoor-lifestyle features command more interest from businesses, workers, and families.
Real-World Impact: What Montrose Is Experiencing
Putting these pillars together, what does the transformation look like in Montrose today?
Job Growth, Business Relocations and New Infrastructure
240 jobs added in 2024 across the campus ecosystem.
Multiple new businesses located directly within Colorado Outdoors, including fitness, food and beverage, and manufacturing.
Infrastructure improvements tied to the campus: roads, utilities, trail connections, river-front amenities, all supporting both business and community growth.
Placemaking Success and Vibrant Events
More than 800 people attended the annual Block Party in 2024, and the 2025 event saw close to 1200! We love seeing the engagement of our community and can’t wait to see what the future holds for events down the road.
New restaurant and hospitality offerings increase local amenities, attract visitors and provide more employment base.
Accessible outdoor recreation, located within walking or short-driving distance from workplaces and housing, improves everyday life.
What This Means for Montrose’s Future
Greater economic resilience. With a diversified base of businesses (manufacturing, distribution, service, hospitality) in addition to recreation and tourism, Montrose is less vulnerable to economic swings in one sector.
Increased population growth and talent attraction. As lifestyle, amenities and work opportunities converge, more individuals, families and companies will consider Montrose as a viable relocation or expansion option.
Enhanced city brand and reputation. Montrose moves beyond “gateway to the mountains” and becomes known as a dynamic business-and-outdoor ecosystem.
Long-term value for residents. Quality housing, green space, trail access, job growth and community amenities combine to raise the standard of living.
Environmental leadership. Through river restoration, trail development and open space preservation, Montrose gains recognition as a community that values natural resources and multi-use recreation.
How to Be Part of the Transformation
If you’re a business looking to grow or relocate, see lots for sale on our Master Plan or retail space for lease to see current availability.
If you’re a resident or someone considering relocating to the region, check out our Why Montrose page to learn more about why Montrose is a great place to live: the area’s lifestyle, schools, outdoor access and community culture. And you can stay up-to-date with our latest progress by subscribing to our newsletter.
Montrose is emerging as one of Colorado’s standout communities to live, work and play, and Colorado Outdoors is proud to play its part in making that vision a reality.
