Berthoud, Loveland share desire for growth

Like sisters, Loveland and Berthoud share plenty in common: same county, same school district and economies that are linked by history and proximity.

But the two — like siblings — are also very different.

For one thing, their population sizes — 54,862 for Loveland and 5,057 for Berthoud, according to 2002 state estimates — set them apart.

Small-town Berthoud retains an agricultural influence nearly erased from Loveland. And Berthoud’s location links it to the Boulder County economies of Longmont and Boulder, which has been reflected in Berthoud real estate prices. Loveland, on the other hand, more closely resembles nearby Fort Collins.

Loveland is in the midst of an economic growth spurt. The city’s Interstate 25 frontage is exploding with a growing offering of commercial, retail, residential and entertainment outlets. An urban-renewal authority created for the city’s downtown neighborhoods shows promise. Several existing businesses are expanding. And rooftop numbers are reaching the critical mass that draws the attention of national retailers.

In short, the city has developed its “own kind of buzz,´ said Donna Smith, Loveland economic-development manager.

Berthoud ready to move

Berthoud, meanwhile, stands at the brink of similar things. The town’s economy stagnated in recent years. Town officials have said that a growth cap aimed at reining in new residential construction brought development nearly to a halt.

Slowing development interest coincided with a stumbling regional economy. Budget travails resulted.

“The last two years, our annual budget has worsened and our reserves have diminished,´ said Berthoud town administrator Jim White. White said the town’s general-fund reserves declined approximately 80 percent in that period.

Berthoud’s economic fortunes, however, appear to be on the rebound. The town is positioning itself for better times, White said, and the past year has held successes.

“We built a raw water pipeline last year to augment our future water supply and availability,” White said. And a two-million-gallon-a-day wastewater-treatment plant is nearing completion.

The town has approved a preliminary development plan for a proposed Safeway store adjacent to the U.S. 287 bypass under construction at Berthoud’s western gateway. Infrastructure at that same gateway is in place for additional commercial and residential development.

At its eastern entry at the interchange of Colorado Highway 56 and Interstate 25, McWhinney Enterprises — the developer behind Centerra in Loveland — is negotiating to develop a 1,600-acre mixed-use development.

Infill development projects are in the works as well, White said.

More sales tax is goal

All of that represents important headway on another municipal issue both communities share in common: sales-tax revenues.

White said town officials are looking out 12 months or more for signs of real fiscal improvement. “We see 2004 as one more difficult year, and in 2005 we see some signs that our planning efforts will begin to show signs of progress.”

Even during the very lean times in Berthoud, White said potential developers have shown interest in commercial development.

“I think they’re all watching and waiting for some of these large projects like Wilson Ranch at Interstate 25 and the projects at 287,” he said.

Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. CEO J.J. Johnston said The Ranch, as the new Larimer County Fairgrounds in east Loveland is called, is one of the big economic-development stories in the Sweetheart City. The new facility will likely spark further development, such as a hotel-convention center.

Loveland is on a roll, Johnston said.

Berthoud, like the rest of the region, is likely to benefit from the momentum, Johnston said. And Berthoud has its own forward motion.

Johnston’s list of positive signs for the town include: main street improvements, demise of the growth cap, the recent relocation to Berthoud of Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s headquarters and Qwest’s improvements to its site in downtown Berthoud.

“Berthoud is making a lot of good moves to reverse the sudden sharp decline they had a couple of years ago. They seem to be coming out of that.”

The town will need to make certain that the message is out that the doors aren’t slammed shut any more, Johnston said.

But questions about whether Berthoud is really interested in attracting new jobs and new families are likely to linger, Johnston noted.

“During the growth cap, the answer was embodied in the cap,” he said. “Now, I think the community should really roll out an attitude that I know is alive on the staff and that is that the welcome mat is out, (that Berthoud) is a friendly community.”

Growth and development remain a politically charged topic in Berthoud. And officials there are sensitive to the message that the growth debate delivered.

Managed growth message

“I think the real message is ?don’t let growth run away from us,'” White said. “The majority of parties have accepted the reality that growth is somewhat inevitable. The important thing is how it’s managed and that it is managed.”

White said the town is being proactive about its approach. Master-planning efforts are aimed at maintaining quality development. Meanwhile, the town has its eye on the health of its downtown.

“Our main street could potentially be at risk if we’re not careful,” he said. The town has made investments of cash and staff time toward supporting main-street redevelopment efforts.

The to-do lists may vary from Berthoud to Loveland, but officials in both communities note that the work of economic development is far from done.

“The fact that we have about 8,000 people looking for jobs in Larimer County states that we can’t be happy with what’s been completed,” Smith said. High-paying, primary jobs will continue to be a focus of economic-development efforts. But the process is not a speedy one.

“When you don’t have a job, it is an urgent issue,” Smith noted. “Economic development is not a fast-paced process, unfortunately. It happens at the speed that businesses make decisions.”

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