ARCHIVED  May 14, 2004

Evans getting set for commercial boom

EVANS — If the old adage, ?Business follows rooftops? holds true, the city of Evans should be set for an influx in the near future.
Immediately south of Greeley, this bedroom community to the Northern Front Range has experienced a population explosion since the 2000 census reported about 9,500 residents.
Today, city officials estimate that nearly 17,000 people now live in Evans ? almost an 80 percent increase in less than four years.
?We see ourselves as a strong attraction for a number of businesses in the future,? said Bruce Eisenhauer, Evans city manager. ?We?ve started to see more building up in the past year or so, and that trend will certainly continue.?
Even with Evans? impressive population growth, the city hasn?t quite reached the mark where big-box retailers and grocery chains sit up and take notice.
?We?re certainly on their radar screens,? Eisenhauer said. ?But it may be a few years.?
Greeley a big draw
For the present, neighboring Greeley provides retail and cultural opportunities for Evans residents, who ? for example ? can drive just a block out of city limits to shop a Super Wal-Mart.
So while Evans remains comfortable with its bedroom-community identity, the city is focusing on attracting retail and services to make local life a little more convenient.
?We?re not a community with an identifiable core business district,? Eisenhauer said. ?We?re set up to provide convenience factors and local service needs with several neighborhood centers throughout the community.?
Some of the most-recent businesses to move into Evans include Curves for Women fitness center; Hunan Taste restaurant; JLR Sheetrock; Hoffman Meats; and a Conoco station. Two dueling drugstores, Walgreens and Eckerd, sit directly across from each other at 35th Avenue and 37th Street. But Eckerd?s parent company ? J.C. Penney Co. ? recently sold the drug store chain, and Colorado stores were not part of the deal. All nine Colorado locations are expected to close, leaving Walgreens to pick up the slack until the future of the Evans site is determined.
Still, a steady increase in local business is reflected in the sales taxes generated. Since 2000, state-collected retail sales taxes have increased 68.5 percent in Evans, topping $2 million last year.
?It takes awhile for retail business to catch up with population growth, but it is coming,? said Jack Meakins, executive director of the Evans Area Chamber of Commerce. Meakins said chamber membership has grown more than 60 percent since 2000, and now boasts nearly 200 members.
?I think people understand that business will grow with the number of people,? he said. ?It may not happen this year, but in three to five years, the retail business in Evans will completely change complexion.?

Traffic counts pass 10,000 per day
Already, Meakins said, traffic counts along 37th Street have surpassed 10,000 vehicles a day. And with the recent purchase of the former State Farm headquarters on Eighth Avenue by Broomfield-based Colorado & Santa Fe Real Estate, Meakins said he expects the types of businesses to join the chamber to diversify dramatically.
?There are a number of businesses exploring coming to Evans,? he said. ?Hopefully, they?ll be attracted to the old State Farm building, but that?s not something that?s going to happen overnight.?
With more than 230,000 square feet to fill, Julia Crawmer, senior leasing associate with Colorado & Santa Fe, said it would likely take five years to lease out the building, which is now called TriPointe Business Center.
?It?s going very well,? Crawmer said. ?We?ve had a lot of activity with small to large users nationwide and locally.?
While only one small office space has been leased so far, Crawmer said she has several contracts out ? but not signed ? and that they are with smaller businesses.
?The big users will take some work,? she said.
Evans offers a great deal for new or relocating companies, Crawmer said, noting a good labor pool; a friendly, small-town atmosphere; and easy access to U.S. highways 34 and 85 and Denver International Airport.
?Going through city requirements for businesses is much more flexible in Evans than it is in the surrounding communities,? Crawmer said, adding that TriPointe is located in a Greeley-Weld County Enterprise Zone, which provides qualifying companies with tax credits.
?I think the recent relocation of several businesses to the area shows that all these companies see the advantage of being in Weld County,? Crawmer said.

Ethanol facility will bring jobs
One of the latest businesses to choose Weld County for its startup location is Great Western Ethanol. Pending approval, an $83 million ethanol-production facility could be up and running by the end of summer 2005 south of Evans and west of LaSalle.
?No later than the first of September 2005, we?ll be producing ethanol,? said Jim Geist, a consultant representing Great Western Ethanol.
Made from corn, ethanol is a renewable fuel source that is blended with regular gasoline and reduces emissions. Geist said the facility would use the latest technologies in energy conservation and pollution prevention, resulting in minimal emissions and no wastewater. The corn byproduct will be sold for animal feed, and the resulting carbon dioxide will be sold to beverage manufacturers. In addition to providing about 50 full-time jobs, Geist said the plant will create opportunities for supporting businesses and plans to purchase 20 million bushels of corn annually.
While Geist said current negotiations are with Weld County, Great Western Ethanol is considering annexing into Evans.
?They?ve already annexed land within an eighth of a mile of us,? Geist said. ?We are talking with Evans, but at this point in time we?re going forward with the planning process with Weld County. But we?ll see what happens. We?ll see who wants to give us the best deal.?

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EVANS — If the old adage, ?Business follows rooftops? holds true, the city of Evans should be set for an influx in the near future.
Immediately south of Greeley, this bedroom community to the Northern Front Range has experienced a population explosion since the 2000 census reported about 9,500 residents.
Today, city officials estimate that nearly 17,000 people now live in Evans ? almost an 80 percent increase in less than four years.
?We see ourselves as a strong attraction for a number of businesses in the future,? said Bruce Eisenhauer, Evans city manager. ?We?ve started to see more…

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