Wellington ready and eager for development

WELLINGTON — Wellington, touting itself as the “northern gateway to Colorado,” is looking to pull more travelers and business people in through its gates off Interstate 25.

The town of nearly 3,500 is at the threshold of great things, said Doug Andersen, a Wellington Realtor and president of the Wellington Economic Development Association.

“Wellington is a wide spot in the road that is getting wider by the day,” Andersen said. “Wellington is it.”

Indeed, with infrastructure in place, relatively affordable real estate, business-friendly development processes, growing rooftop numbers, access to railroad and interstate-highway transportation and a burgeoning work force, Wellington already can check off a number of lines on its economic-development to-do list.

The town is located about 10 miles north of Fort Collins at the Colorado Highway 1/Interstate 25. interchange. Its population has more than doubled in the past five years and, when a rural population of more than 1,500 is factored in, Wellington is reaching a critical mass in terms of pent-up consumer demand.

Population could double in 5 years

Andersen said another 2,200 residential lots on the way could cause the town to double again within five years.

Meanwhile, an estimated employment base of 200,000 workers lives within 20 to 30 miles of Wellington. And, according to Colorado Department of Transportation studies, some 16,480 cars pass the town daily going north and south on I-25, Andersen said.

“The potential here is just intense,” Andersen said. “I have never seen anything in the 27 years that I’ve sold real estate as wide open and potentially beneficial to a community as what we’ve got right now.” Andersen’s real estate business is ReQuest Real Estate Services.

Thanks to recent residential development, Wellington has been able to improve its infrastructure, said Larry Lorentzen, town administrator. A new sewer plant came on line Oct. 1, and the town has doubled the capacity of its water-treatment plant.

“We have excess water and sewer capacity,” he said. “We have a substantial amount of land that’s vacant right now and available for commercial construction with infrastructure in or close to it already.”

Wellington also prides itself on a streamlined development process that can take between 90 and 120 days on average, Lorentzen said. “We hear horror stories of starting a process that should take 90 days taking two years in other towns around here.”

Town officials received the news they were hoping for Dec. 2, when the Colorado Economic Development Commission approved a request to expand its enterprise zone by 860 acres, a move that should help draw more commercial development to the town.

“We (had) an enterprise zone that covered existing town limits back in 1993,” Lorentzen said. “Since that point, we’ve annexed some areas and approved them for commercial development and have others earmarked for commercial development outside town limits.”

Wellington officials hope the tax-credit benefits that locating in an enterprise zone can offer will serve as further enticement to businesses looking to come to town.

What’s missing, what’s needed

What’s been missing, residents say, are a full-service grocery with a pharmacy, a hardware store, an automotive-parts store, more medical facilities and more employers.

Recently, town officials received proposals for not one but two new supermarkets, and Andersen is planning to bring a hardware store to town.

What’s still needed is more awareness of what Wellington offers, Andersen and others said.

That the town lacks an established identity right now is both a challenge and an opportunity, said J.J. Johnston, president and CEO of the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. Wellington is a community investor in that organization.

“They’re a small community, so they need to work with the state and our organization and others to help promote their assets,” Johnston said.

“They have a town that wants economic vitality, a town that wants to develop new community resources. They’re working to get some new projects in, and they know what they want, and they’re going after it,” Johnston said.

In order to spread the word to a wider audience, Wellington formed its economic-development organization in 1995. The organization consists of volunteer directors appointed by the town.

“The reason for WEDA’s formation is for us to have a common voice and direction and point of reference for our approach,” Andersen said.

Recent interest in several small Northern Colorado communities by a large bottling plant served as a wake-up call. Wellington offered an ideal location but was unable to respond with a united front to queries. “We were kind of disjointed in our approach,” Andersen said.

The organization is at work on several fronts. “We’re pulling together business people of the town of Wellington,” he said, pointing out that some 156 businesses operate within or near the community. “These are legitimate enterprises that are ongoing because of local loyalty.”

By building awareness of local businesses, WEDA hopes it can build its retail sales-tax base as well.

A Web site is now up and offering information about Wellington at www.wellingtonbusiness.com.

Commercial interest

The town already has caught the eyes of residential developers. And commercial developers are beginning to show interest as well. A motel is under construction along the highway just south of the Colorado 1 overpass. It will be located adjacent to the Wellington First National bank building completed there a year ago.

Andersen has taken the need for a hardware store into his own hands and plans to open an Ace Hardware store on the east side of the interstate on the former Wellington Downs racetrack site. “We’re gong to develop that site into a business park,” he said.

To detractors who see Wellington as too remote, the town answers by pointing out the development along the I-25 corridor to the south. There was a time, they say, when development such as the Wal-Mart Distribution Center east of the interstate drew raised eyebrows for its “out-there” location.

“We’re in the same place 10 or 15 years later,” Andersen said. “It’s just a matter of time before someone is going to recognize us for who we are.”

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