An exciting opportunity is in the wind that would change the direction of our town in a dramatic and positive way: The combination government campus in the heart of Greeley’s downtown sector is a cooperative effort between the private sector, School District 6, city of Greeley and Weld County Government.
Greeley and District 6, Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Association are all on board and ready to contract to build new facilities, city hall, a new parking garage, public and private office buildings, new park spaces, room for service retail and residential projects. Only Weld County Commissioners remain to decide whether to abandon the old distinguished 1917 County Courthouse and move this entire arm of government and the rest of supporting legal services to the rural outskirts of town or participate in this once in a century chance to combine efforts with other local government and bolster our community rather than pull the hangman’s floor from under it. It may be the biggest decision ever faced by our Weld County managers.
Losing the courts, staff, litigants, attorneys, probation officers, jury pools and related would mean the shriveling demise of the downtown center of Weld’s County seat. Many years of effort to prop up and improve our city center would be scrapped. The efforts of many to maintain the history of this important settlement of the west would be drastically setback and perhaps erased.
We are so very lucky to have a family and development company in our town, the Richardsons/Richmark Cos. that realized what was happening when the county began to discuss building a new justice center in north Greeley north of O Street, what could and must be done as a better alternative. The company quickly and alertly perceived the county’s dilemma in light of similar challenges facing the city and school district, also with antiquated, deteriorating and undersized buildings — then creatively began to formulate an idea to undertake a massive rebuild of the entire south downtown sector to solve everyone’s wows at once with an efficient scheme of property trades, new construction for intermixed government buildings, courthouse, city hall, office buildings, parking structure and demolition of obsolete facilities and infrastructure. The plan calls for an attractive, modern urban mixed use design combining public parks and walkways, outdoor relaxation and gathering, intermixed high rise living, retail and restaurants to service this new large workforce, and private office space for related industry. The historic 108-year-old courthouse, still impressive and imposing, will be repurposed and maintained in tribute to our history and legacy. The extensive remake of potentially six city blocks will provide yet more impetus for Greeley to correct storm drainage and new streets — Ninth, 10th and 11th — and on Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, 10th and 11th avenues. Maybe the feds will even catch the excitement and plan a new post office?
We have all seen neighboring communities face this same situation and the consequences of taking the easy out to build from scratch out on the periphery. Adams did it in Brighton and took the courthouse out to I-76 away from the workforce and abandoned the Fourth Street district, which has withered. Douglas County completely abandoned their downtown for a retail location on the other side of I-25. Both Morgan County and the city leapfrogged into the country and left Main Street a ghost town. Alternatively, those who have persevered in their downtown districts, such as Larimer in Old Town Fort Collins; Boulder; and Arapahoe in Littleton have bolstered their communities, making them not only survive but thrive.
Many generations of pillars of our community have championed our city and our downtown heart. The Farrs, Monforts, Wheelers, Tointons, Notestines and now Richardsons have sacrificed much and invested millions so that we could enjoy a thriving, historic central core, a place where cultures meet and mix and live, work, play, solve problems, govern. Without Greeley’s central downtown core we suffer a bit of an identity crisis. As the few remaining readers of the Tribune, you are those that care most about our community. Please make the point to your commissioners how much sense (and cents) this redevelopment proposal makes rather than the strung out O Street alternative.
Al Axton is a Greeley resident.
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