Thursday, representatives from the invertebrate zoo announced that the Butterfly Pavilion will no longer be expanding to the Broomfield location.
The transition was first proposed in 2018, , located at the intersection of Interstate 25 and Colorado 7.
The zoo announced Thursday that since the business landscape has changed significantly in the seven years, the move is “no longer feasible in today’s economy,” a release stated.
“While Butterfly Pavilion’s new facility project has changed direction for site selection, we remain energized and optimistic about the future as we continue to expand our efforts to protect and conserve invertebrates, which are the foundation of all life on earth,” said Nathalie Brochu, interim CEO.
The Baseline development is a large mixed-use development project led by real estate investment and development firm McWhinney. Butterfly Pavilion had plans to break ground for its new location in 2024, with a full move-in by 2025. Its current Westminster facility is 30,000 square feet, so this new location would have more than doubled the zoo’s space.
, the former CEO of the pavilion said the new space would become “the global hub for invertebrate research, conservation and education.”
“Although we are saddened by this change in direction, we understand the challenges they faced and respect their decision,” said Kyle Harris, the Baseline general manager at McWhinney in the press release.
According to the McWhinney website, Baseline plans to have residential, educational and business facilities in close quarters.
Despite backing out of the project, Brochu said the pavilion will continue to work with cities like Broomfield on the Urban Prairies Project. Neighboring Westminster and Broomfield have more than 8,000 acres of open space and this project will help maintain habitat restoration, Brochu said, and will increase pollinator populations by integrating conservation into everyday spaces.
, Butterfly Pavilion certified Broomfield’s Baseline development as the first Pollinator District in the world.
According to the press release, the pavilion is working towards plans for future expansion elsewhere.
“Our Board of Directors is actively exploring new locations, and we are fully committed to finding the perfect site that will enable us to amplify our impact in invertebrate research, conservation, and education,” Brochu said. “We are excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to continuing to inspire and connect future generations with nature’s small wonders.”
