Publisher’s Notebook: 714 Trib Center will test downtown Greeley market

Downtown Greeley faces a major test.

An Aurora-based developer is proposing a renovation of the historic Greeley Tribune building at 714 Eighth St. The property has been vacant for about 14 years, ever since the Tribune moved to new digs on Eighth Avenue.

Tom Newman, president of Newman Commercial Properties Inc., is pushing the market, with plans for an upscale renovation of the old Tribune property. Newman acquired the property more than a year ago. The development, now known as 714 Tribune Center, will seek gross rental rates of $16.50 to $20 per square foot, comparable to rents in downtown Fort Collins.

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“I expect to attract tenants who want to portray an image to their clients — companies who want a high-profile, premiere spot in downtown Greeley,” Newman told reporter Amy Kegg of Business Report Daily, a daily business-news service of The Northern Colorado Business Report. “We’ll soon find out if downtown Greeley is ready for the redevelopment and rejuvenation that everyone wants.”

Indeed we shall. This upscale project will be unlike anything else downtown, both in scope and in concept. Many opportunities for renovation of historic properties exist downtown, but the area is still seeking its niche as Greeley’s population shifts westward.

Newman plans to proceed with construction when the project is 70 percent preleased. The building encompasses more than 26,000 square feet, most of which will be devoted to office suites; some might be used for retail development.

Mark Bradley of Realtec Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. of Greeley will handle leasing of the building, while Rhoads Construction Inc. of Fort Collins will handle the renovation itself. AH Architecture of Denver designed the renovation.

Newman and Bradley hope to have tenants signed on by spring, with construction taking eight months after that. Plans call for a new ornamental staircase, new elevator and skylights. Additionally, a 1950s-era addition will be demolished to allow for a new entrance and access to an adjacent parking lot.

Downtown Greeley is one of the gems of Northern Colorado. But recent years have been tough for the area, which has lost major retailers and seen many buildings stagnate.

Now, however, some momentum seems to be reaching downtown, with renovations of the former Garretson’s sporting-goods building, opening of the Meeker Commons project and other developments.

But much remains to be done, including creating a greater link with the University of Northern Colorado down Ninth Avenue and beautifying Eighth Avenue, among other needs.

None of these issues are insurmountable. And it could be that 714 Tribune Center will be the catalyst for revitalizing what should be one of the region’s most treasured areas.

Christopher Wood can be reached at (970) 221-5400, (970) 356-1683 or via e-mail at cwood@ncbr.com. His fax number is (970) 221-5432.