Who will bat for Greeley?

Well, maybe so-and-so.

One hears a lot of that these days, as names are bandied about regarding who will take the lead in downtown Greeley’s revitalization. After all, Lower Downtown in Denver had/has Dana Crawford, and many visionaries have played important roles in Old Town Fort Collins.

But who will play a similar role in downtown Greeley? Northern Colorado Business Report staff writer Tom Hacker asked just that question in an article in this issue. What he found is that although many individuals are mentioned, none is yet ready to commit to any major investment of time and money.

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Certainly, individuals such as Bob Tointon and Dan Wheeler will play important parts. But what Greeley sorely needs is a team of players willing to invest millions of dollars and thousands of hours in projects. Greeley needs someone — actually, several someones — who can spend years in the development arena, with a master plan for large chunks of downtown.

Such a project could be retail, office, residential or entertainment. A theater complex, once regarded as the most-likely project to jump-start downtown, now appears unlikely at best.

Who will it be? Will the Monforts, who have been so integral to Greeley’s economy for seven decades, take an interest in the revival of downtown? That remains to be seen. Certainly, they have the wherewithal to make things happen.

More likely, however, is a cadre of developers, each making projects work. LoDo took years of risky but careful ventures, one succeeding after another, before the area truly began to boom. (Yes, there were many LoDo projects before Coors Field, thanks largely to Crawford and a few others.)

While a grand-slam project would be great for downtown Greeley, what’s more important is that little projects begin to take form. Residential, office and retail all will work, if the different players can get together.

University of Northern Colorado president Hank Brown has just the right idea. As UNC expands, he’s proposing that it expand its residential units northward, closer to the southern edge of downtown. That will create more of a link between the university and downtown merchants and restaurants. It’s exactly the right approach.

While we’re at it, let’s make Ninth Avenue a true bridge between the university and downtown, making it pedestrian-friendly and easier for students to travel downtown. How about a shuttle?

Then let’s take a look at Eighth Avenue, which could become a gorgeous gateway to downtown. Mayor Jerry Wones has already indicated a willingness to examine streetscape issues in downtown, and Eighth Avenue is the place to start.

On the practical side, the city and the Downtown Development Authority should be willing to invest the funds needed to make projects work. Must of the revitalization of downtown Denver — though not necessarily LoDo — was brought about by tax-increment financing through the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, which in recent years has focused more on renovation than demolition.

Let’s try the same approach. Key to downtown Greeley’s revival is a celebration of the past and its architecture, not its demolition. Any new projects downtown should proceed only as far as they preserve the historical integrity of an area that has already lost much in earlier revitalization efforts.

Before projects can proceed, however, let’s put the pieces together that will enable private developers to make themselves known.

Christopher Wood can be reached at (970) 221-5400, (970) 356-1683, (800) 440-3506 or via e-mail at cwood@ncbr.com. His fax number is (970) 356-1683.