Development along 8th Avenue could start to look a lot more like the rest of downtown Greeley following a zoning district change the city council approved Tuesday night.
The city’s zoning district for downtown means fewer building restrictions, including waiving requirements for setbacks, building height, on-site parking and open spaces. City officials believe expanding the district to include eight more blocks of the 8th Avenue corridor will allow the city to realize its plans for downtown.
The district, which had previously included most of the area from 6th Street to 11th Street and 7th Avenue to 11th Avenue, has been extended to include the 8th Avenue corridor up to 5th Street and down to 17th Street.
A map showing the new boundaries for the recently renamed Downtown Overlay District. The blue shading indicates the previous district boundaries and the red outline indicates the new boundary as approved by the City Council on Tuesday. (Courtesy/ City of Greeley)Director of Community Development Brian McBloom told council the expansion of the Downtown Overlay District, previously known as the General Improvement District, would allow for development that reflects previously established patterns and complements existing buildings, while promoting the unique character of downtown Greeley. Additionally, this expansion enables the city to better coordinate development with further investments in public spaces, such as streets and civic areas.
The expansion means the zoning district also more closely aligns with the borders of the Downtown Development Authority.
“I absolutely love this,” Councilman Tommy Butler said. “I think this is gonna be very good for downtown development in general. There are a lot of parcels that are gonna benefit from this, and it’s gonna bring that character further down the strip. So I’m very excited about this.”
Traffic flows on 8th Avenue in downtown Greeley on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. The Greeley City Council voted to expand the Downtown Overlay District boundaries to improve the UNC-downtown. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)The city hopes the expansion will strengthen the connection between downtown Greeley and the University of Northern Colorado, including improved walkability. The city’s 16th Street project, which is currently in its final phase of construction, has a similar aim, constructing two roundabouts and improved sidewalk connections to downtown.
The city had previously hosted a public meeting regarding this ordinance and mailed out notices to residents along the corridor. According to McBloom, all residents at the public approved of the idea, and the city received no objections in response to the mailed notices.
Councilman Dale Hall asked McBloom whether this would have any financial impact on residents living along the corridor. McBloom clarified it would not and would, in some ways, provide benefits to residents along the corridor.
“This is very much simply a zoning update so that they can enjoy the same sort of relaxed regulations that the rest of the district has,” McBloom said.
The ordinance passed 6-0, with Councilwoman Melissa McDonald absent from the council meeting.
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