鈥� A trifecta of governmental bodies is considering an ambitious plan to co-locate new facilities to preserve downtown Greeley as an employment center for Weld County, the City of Greeley and Greeley-Evans School District 6.
The proposal from downtown developer Richmark Development LLC came in response to concerns that Weld County could relocate governmental services out of downtown, affecting 500 employees, and potentially reversing two decades of downtown鈥檚 progress.
The prospect that Weld County could depart downtown has created anxiety among downtown supporters, but having a plan at the ready comes as welcome news.
鈥淩eally, this vision downtown, it鈥檚 bold and it will be complex,鈥� said Bianca Fisher, executive director of Greeley鈥檚 Downtown Development Authority. 鈥淥n the flip side, it鈥檚 an incredibly rewarding, meaningful, longstanding project that will be a part of Greeley鈥檚 legacy in a way that a shiny new building out West could never be.鈥�
The plan, which suggests property and land trades among the three government entities, as well as building a long-shunned downtown parking garage, is now back in the hands of the county, where planners are reconsidering their options for future growth. It also comes at a time when the city and the school district are contemplating major rehabs of their offices after spring flooding last year.
鈥淚f this comes together, the top priority is the courthouse, a new city hall, and possibly a new school district administration building,鈥� said Adam Frazier, president of real estate development at Richmark Development LLC. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 step one. If we鈥檙e roping the moon, ideally there will be more hotels, more retail and dining in particular, and private office.鈥�
The fledgling plan comes in the wake of Weld County鈥檚 facilities master plan study that was commissioned last fall, which contemplated possible sites for a new justice center 鈥� none of which included downtown.
Knowing that the county was growing, and the state would appoint new judges to keep up with that growth, the county鈥檚 study suggested moving the justice center to county property in north Greeley, where the county has been systematically moving its services and offices for decades.
鈥淲e have one courtroom available and two new judges that we鈥檒l get this year, and a total of five over the next five to seven years,鈥� said Commissioner Kevin Ross. 鈥淚nitially when the (facilities) plan came out, it was looking like our only solution was on the O Street property.鈥�
Ross said the commissioners sat down with the city, the school district, and Richmark last fall to talk about space options, given that they were all in the same situation. Their downtown holdings among all three looked like a checkerboard, which sparked ideas of land and property swaps and a combined venture. The commissioners then asked its planners to take another look at a future justice center that would stay downtown, results of which are expected Feb. 18.
The key to all of that happening, however, is parking. Adding buildings downtown, as well as keeping all three employee bases, plus business traffic, creates the need for more parking.
The elusive yet sought-after downtown parking garage has been shunned for years as too expensive and not quite ready for prime-time. Under this new proposal 鈥� which has yet to be decided by any government body 鈥� now might be the right time.
鈥淣ow, not only is it justifiable, it really is that first domino that could fall to set off a large-scale, meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime project,鈥� Fisher said.
This week, the DDA voted to put in $1 million in TIF (tax improvement financing) toward a garage to help make the plan happen.
Ross said simply, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a huge statement on the part of the DDA.鈥�
Tyler Richardson, vice president of Richmark Holdings LLC, said the parking garage is key to making the plan work.
鈥淭he parking garage is significant to all parties, including the current restaurants and retailers,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淚t is the key. Who all will participate in the garage has yet to be defined. The DDA took a leap of faith鈥� by pledging that $1 million.
Greeley Mayor John Gates agreed: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a deal-breaker if it doesn鈥檛 happen, but I鈥檇 agree (a parking garage) is key.鈥�
Officials at Richmark recently devised a plan illustrating how the city, the school district and Weld County can co-locate in spaces downtown in configurations similar to the Dairy Block in Denver or Music Lane in Austin, as a way to meet all entities鈥� emerging space needs. At this point, they鈥檙e just ideas, Richardson cautioned.
But with the last decade of investment in downtown, Richmark officials obviously don鈥檛 want to take two steps back.
鈥淭here has been a consistent momentum downtown that we don鈥檛 want to lose,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e only been going forward since the development of the Maddie (Apartments) 鈥� things have gradually been getting better downtown.鈥�
The timing of such a plan could be advantageous or detrimental depending on the perspective.
There will be much to figure out. First, financing.
Weld County doesn鈥檛 go into debt as a matter of practice; it also doesn鈥檛 have a sales tax to leverage in funding. The money the county has squirreled away over the years to build for future growth is finite, and any plan must fit within those confines.
The county also committed last fall to sharing the with the city.
Conversely, the City of Greeley is on the cusp of making a $1.1 billion deal with Windsor developer Martin Lind to build a hotel-ice arena-water park on the western edge of Greeley, which would become home to the Colorado Eagles hockey team. That project also is being called a game-changer for Greeley, but the city would have to guarantee the debt City officials have yet to determine if they want to dive into what Lind calls 鈥淐ascadia.鈥� Decisions are still forthcoming in a matter of weeks, officials have predicted. They held last week.
In June, the City Council agreed to lease the former Atmos Energy building at 1200 11th Ave., directly south of the Greeley Fire Station No. 1 while the city works on City Hall. An original plan to also lease the former medical building on 16th Street is no longer on the table, Gates said. They did not decide whether to raze City Hall and start from scratch, but discussions were leaning in that direction given the condition of the 50-year-old building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not dire yet, but it鈥檚 going to be,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淥ur city hall has almost exhausted its usefulness. I just spent 21 years in the school district building and it鈥檚 in much the same shape.鈥�
How the money for an entirely new downtown plan would come together and where it would come from is the 鈥渕illion-dollar question,鈥� given all the balls in the air for all involved.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to do any of this if we can鈥檛 afford it,鈥� Gates said, noting the city鈥檚 ongoing negotiations on the west Greeley project.
It first hinges on the county, which could find out the plan to stay downtown isn鈥檛 as financially feasible as was hoped.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to figure out the budget,鈥� Ross said. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 priced it on O Street, or downtown yet, and that鈥檚 part of what the study will tell us 鈥� . Commissioner Scott James is saying if it costs a factor of 1 to build on O Street and a factor of 1.4 to build downtown, that鈥檚 a tough pill to swallow for taxpayers. If it鈥檚 in the ballpark and we can do some sharing, now we have an opportunity.鈥�
