Loveland city buses, FLEX may lose Orchards transfer point

LOVELAND — Local and regional bus services may have to relocate a busy transfer point if an agreement can’t be reached between the city of Loveland and the owners of Orchards Shopping Center.

Representatives of the city and Orchards are negotiating an extension of the owners’ Oct. 21 deadline for closure of the bus transfer lanes and shelters that serve as a hub for Loveland’s three city bus routes and a stop for FLEX, the city of Fort Collins’ regional route that connects Loveland with Fort Collins to the north and Berthoud, Longmont and Boulder to the south. The transfer point currently is on the west end of Orchards’ parking lot, on the east side of U.S. Highway 287 north of 29th Street.

According to a media release from the city of Loveland, City of Loveland Transit (COLT) and Public Works Department managers had sought a two-year extension of the agreement with the Orchards management after the owners had given a 90-day notice of the transfer station’s closure. The two-year extension would have given the city more time to find a new location for the transit center. The shopping center’s owners rejected that proposal, but the parties continue to negotiate a shorter-term extension.

SPONSORED CONTENT

How Platte River Power Authority is accelerating its energy transition

Platte River Power Authority, the community-owned wholesale electricity provider for Northern Colorado, has a history of bold initiatives.

Leah Browder, Loveland’s public works director, said the city was exploring options for relocating the transfer center but would not comment further on the status of those negotiations.

Timothy Wilder, general manager of  Transfort, the Fort Collins city agency that operates the FLEX regional buses, said officials there are aware of the negotiations but are not participating in them.

The Orchards Transfer Center opened in 2000 shortly after COLT introduced fixed-route scheduled service. Before then, the city’s public transit service had operated since 1973 consisting of a single shuttle bus serving seniors. According to the city, the system has evolved to serve 140,000 riders yearly on its fixed routes as well as paratransit services for seniors and residents with disabilities.

The shopping center, which opened in 1976 and was expanded in 1980 and 1999, is anchored by a King Soopers grocery store and includes a bank, office-supply and hardware stores, several restaurants and other retailers.

John Waterbury, head of Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Waterbury Properties, the shopping center’s owner, had not returned calls seeking comment by late Monday afternoon. However, Browder said Waterbury Properties has told the city that the retail center did not benefit sufficiently from business it had hoped the transfer center would generate and also cited problems associated with panhandling transients and trash, as well as pavement damage in the bus loop area as reasons for terminating the agreement.

“We were disappointed to learn of Orchards’ decision to end our business relationship and would have appreciated an opportunity to address the concerns that caused them to take this action,” Browder said in the media statement. “We appreciate the years of support that they have provided to this important city service and wish them well in their future business endeavors.”

Loveland will provide security services at Orchards to address the owners’ concerns for the remainder of the agreement, the statement from the city said. As part of its request for the two-year extension, the city offered to repair any pavement damage.

Meanwhile, COLT managers will continue to focus on finding a new transfer point to keep the transit service operating efficiently. “Our priority is to ensure the smoothest transition we can for our customers,” Browder said, “and to secure a partnership that may enhance our contribution to the community.”