Greeley residents will begin receiving ballots regarding the special election for the Catalyst and Cascadia projects no earlier than Feb. 3, with ballots for overseas and military voters sent on Friday.
The city will hold a special election for ballot measure 1A on Feb. 24, giving voters the opportunity to decide whether to repeal the zoning for the Catalyst and Cascadia properties. The zoning ordinance was approved by the council in August and was quickly challenged by local issue committee Greeley Demands Better, which circulated a petition to force the council to either repeal the zoning ordinance or bring it to a vote.
On Thursday, Greeley Demands Better co-chairs Brandon Wark and Rhonda Solis sent a letter to the council demanding that they stop spending and exercise the project off-ramps until the residents have the opportunity to vote. The letter listed possible off-ramps including repealing the zoning and canceling the election.
“As sponsors of the Referendum, we have substantial and well-documented concerns about the City’s continued spending and financial exposure,” the letter reads. “We urge you to take immediate action to protect taxpayers by stopping all discretionary spending and exercising the off-ramps and contingency provisions available under the existing agreements.”
Greeley Forward spokesman Tom Donkle issued a statement Friday rejecting Greeley Demands Better’s suggestions.
“Ironically, this maneuver comes just one day after Greeley was selected as the future home of the Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterpark, which will be a major draw for residents and visitors alike,” Donkle wrote. “And it comes just days before the City will release a final economic impact study on Cascadia’s annual $300 million impact on our local economy and our Downtown.”
The city will begin mailing ballots to voters on Feb. 3, and they will be due by 7 p.m. Feb. 24, either by mail or by depositing them at a ballot drop-off box. If voters choose to mail in their ballots, they will need to apply postage and allow enough time for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the ballots, as postmarks will not count.
The Catalyst project is set to include a hotel, water park and arena for the Colorado Eagles hockey team in west Greeley. The city estimates the project will cost $832 million, which includes design, construction, infrastructure and utilities. According to Greeley Demands Better, this project is too risky for the city and would cause economic hardship for taxpayers.
“Voting yes on 1A gives our community the time and leverage to demand a better financing solution — one that doesn’t put 46 public buildings at risk or lock taxpayers into millions in annual obligations regardless of the project’s performance,” Greeley Demands Better spokeswoman Jessie Koerner said in an email. “This isn’t about stopping development; it’s about ensuring Greeley gets a deal that protects taxpayers and serves the public interest.”
Voting yes on 1A would revert the 834-acre property at U.S. 34 and east of Weld County Road 17 to its previous zoning designation. Construction would be unable to move forward, but other aspects of the Catalyst project could continue and the developers could reapply for zoning the following year.
“We love Greeley, and we know voters in Greeley want the opportunity to support Cascadia and start realizing the benefits of this development as soon as possible,” Donkle continued in his statement. “We support giving Greeley residents the chance to vote NO on delaying the creation of 3,800 new jobs, to vote NO on delaying the more than $56 million in Highway 34 improvements paid by the developers, and to vote NO on delaying the millions of dollars in new sales tax revenues that can be reinvested into Downtown, addressing housing needs, and improving homelessness and public safety.”
A recently released feasibility study from Hotel and Leisure Advisors warned the project’s revenue may not be sufficient to service its debt. However, an economic impact study from the same group estimates the project will have an economic impact of $2.9 billion on the city when considering future developer draw in the surrounding area.
The city, which ordered both studies, said in December that there were four studies it had commissioned and that it was delaying releasing the studies independently since a single study might lack context provided by the others. The city council will discuss the full feasibility and economic impact study at the council meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Center South, 1001 11th Ave.
For more information about the special election, including ballot drop-off locations and other frequently asked questions, go to bit.ly/SpecialElection26.
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