Swift & Co. sells 584 acres from its land holdings

GREELEY – Swift & Co. has sold two tracts of land totaling 584 acres
on the north edge of Greeley, parties in the two deals have confirmed.
The sales are part of Swift’s broader initiative to dispense of
roughly 1,200 acres of land and its former headquarters complex in
north Greeley.
Ed Orr, owner of Orr Land Co. in Greeley, acquired a 381-acre tract
for $1.1 million. Orr’s purchase is about one-half mile west of U.S.
85, with the southern boundary at AA Street and the northern boundary
at Colorado Highway 392.
The smaller purchase – a 203-acre tract – was made by Brad Keirns, a
partner in Investors Group of Companies in Greeley. Keirns’ land is
approximately one-half mile west of the Orr property. It’s also
bordered by Highway 392 on the north and touches Seeley Lake on the
south.
Orr’s keeping his specific plans for the ground under wraps, but
hinted that he would develop the site.
Asked if he’s considering a housing-oriented project, Orr said, “That
probably is fair speculation ? The type of development it becomes
depends on a deal I’m working on.”
He declined to identify any other parties he’s talking to about the project.
Keirns paid $599,000 for his ground. He wants to hold on to the
property to maintain vistas for residents of the Seeley Lake
subdivision, said Bernie Blach, a commercial real estate agent with
Realtec Commercial Real Estate who was the listing broker on both
transactions.
In addition to the two tracts that were sold, unidentified buyers
have contracted with Swift to buy a 430-acre tract, Blach said. The
tract surrounds the company’s former headquarters complex – three
buildings on 20 acres – which is also under contract to a separate
buyer.
Swift’s asking price on the 430-acre tract is $1.96 million. The
company’s asking $1.25 million for the former headquarters complex,
which covers 65,000 square feet of office space. Swift’s predecessor,
ConAgra, vacated the old offices in 2001 to move to new facilities in
west Greeley.
The two contracts could close by July, Blach said. That’s when the
legal division of the two properties is expected to be complete.
The rural acreages bought by Orr and Keirns were originally part of
the Monfort Beef feedlot system, Blach said. The property was later
acquired by ConAgra before Swift bought the ConAgra beef division in
2002.
Swift has been leasing the ground for farming, Blach said.
Orr’s purchase and potential development north of Greeley is another
sign that the city’s growth – oriented to the west over the last 20
years – could begin to veer north.
Last year developers rolled out plans for Poudre Ridge, a 395-acre
mixed-use project, located near the intersection of Weld County roads
66 and 33.
“I think what it does for the city is it opens up the possibility for
growth in a direction other than west,” Blach said. “In the long-term
it should be very beneficial to the redevelopment of downtown and the
central business district.”
Blach estimates that Orr’s purchase, while still outside Greeley city
limits, is just 1.5 miles north of downtown Greeley.
Orr estimated he would start “laying out” plans for a new development
in six months. “If that’s the case, then before we start making
applications, it would be a year or two away,” he said.

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