Interstate 25 corridor peppered with projects

The segment of the Interstate 25 corridor between Wellington on the north and Firestone on the south is popping with construction projects.

And the closer you get to an interchange, the greater the concentration of energy.

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Following is an overview of ongoing and proposed development projects along I-25 as it cuts through Larimer and Weld counties:

Wellington    The 13-acre Coal Creek Center, located at the southwest corner of the I-25 and Colorado Highway 1 interchange, is already home to a hotel and bank, with more land available for commercial use. Plans have been discussed for a grocery store and hardware store, but developers have yet to pull the trigger on either project.

The Meadows, a 143-acre residential project, is located on the east side of interstate. Construction has begun on single-family lots, with plans in the future for multifamily housing and commercial uses. In all, 394 homes are planned for The Meadows.

Further south on the west side of the interstate, houses are springing up in The Knolls subdivision, which is designed for up to 335 homes.

The 132-acre Columbine subdivision, in the same vicinity, is designated for about 300 single-family lots. A 23-acre parcel has been targeted for commercial and multi-family uses.

Fort Collins    The county seat of Larimer County is served by four exits, and seems a logical location for a beehive of new construction. But that’s not the case.

Three developers have initiated plans in the vicinity of the Prospect Road interchange with I-25, but nothing is firm, said Steve Olt, a Fort Collins city planner. Olt said there has also been some talk about developing property near the Vine Drive bridge that crosses the interstate, but with no direct access to the highway.

The land around the Mulberry Street interchange, which actually falls outside the city limits, has seen significant activity at the southeast corner in project called Interchange Business Park. The Edge Sports Center, an indoor recreation center, was completed in the fall at Interchange Business Park, but nothing is currently under construction.

Windsor    The town of Windsor has annexed the east side of the interchange that’s long been known as the Windsor exit. The newest project at the interchange’s Westgate Business Park is a 2,500-square-foot Taco John’s, said Joe Plummer, director of planning for the city. “It’s in the review process right now,´ said Plummer. “Apart from that there is nothing new.”

Loveland    It’s hard to find I-25 frontage in Loveland that’s not under construction.

The most prominent projects are located at the sprawling Centerra development near the interchange of U.S. Highway 34 and the interstate.

Sherry Albertson-Clark, chief planner for Loveland, said there are six projects under construction in that area. Most notable is The Shops at Centerra, a 700,000-square-foot mall that will be on the east side of the highway, just east of the Loveland Prime Outlets complex. The Shops is designated for 85 acres and will include Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Foley’s. Plans include up to 80 total tenants, covering retail, restaurant and entertainment uses.

Another big site is the Myers Group Partnership Development Plan, which will be on the southwest corner of where Crossroads Boulevard intersects with I-25. The Myers Group site is a business park that will cover 185 acres. Currently under construction is the 60,000-square-foot Heska Corp. office building. Plans have also been launched for an auto mall. Co’s BMW will be the first auto dealer to locate at the site. Other uses considered in the area include an office-industrial campus.

Three other Centerra projects in the works include:

• The 26-acre Centerra Marketplace, located at the northwest corner of Fall River Drive and U.S. Highway 34, a short distance west of the interstate. Upon completion, the project will have about 240,000 square feet of retail and restaurant use.

• A 103-room Residence Inn by Marriott is proposed at the northeast corner of Foxtail Road and Rocky Mountain Avenue.

• Immense cranes are parked at the Medical Center of the Rockies, the new regional hospital located just north of the Loveland Prime Outlets center. The project, due to open in 2007, is a $220 million, 134-bed facility that will anchor a 127-acre medical campus.

A short distance north of Centerra is the Loveland-Fort Collins Industrial Airpark. A four-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Byrd and Rockwell drives will include a new Kia auto dealership, soon to relocate from Fort Collins. Numerous projects are also under way at the Centre Point Business Park, where nine separate development lots have been sold since June.

Berthoud    Berthoud’s interchange, just north of the Little Thompson River, has been the subject of annexation conflicts with the nearby town of Johnstown, which has annexed as far north as U.S. Highway 34. Berthoud recently finalized an agreement with the Wilson Ranch development, which will include 4,000 residential units and 3 million square feet of commercial space, said Jim White, Berthoud’s town administrator.

White also said that a spot about one-quarter mile east of the interchange and north of County Road 44 would be the home of the Berthoud Regional Waterworks Treatment Facility. The complex, which will serve as a wastewater treatment plant for Berthoud and Johnstown, is expandable and will process 25 million gallons per day.

Johnstown    Johnstown’s annexations in recent years have pulled in multiple I-25 interchanges, which make the town a prime player in future projects along the highway.

The highest-profile development in Johnstown is the 2534 project, located at the southeast corner of I-25 and U.S. Highway 34. The 500-acre development plan calls for a mixture of commercial and housing activity, including the 40-bed Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital, already under construction.

“Then we come to Johnson’s Corner,´ said John Franklin, Johnstown’s planner. “There is going to be the Country Dinner Playhouse southeast of the corner itself. That’s going to be open the summer of ’05. It’s supposed to be on six acres and have 300 seats.” 

Franklin said his office had just received an application for expanding the Great Colorado Marketplace to include a recreational vehicle dealership. The Gateway Center, which is a light industrial park near the town’s interchange with Colorado Highway 60, is awaiting a new 14,000-square-foot office-warehouse building for Pro Supplies Inc., a building-supplies distributor.

Del Camino/Southwest Weld County    Development interest is high in the vicinity of I-25, said Weld County Planner Jacqueline Hatch. But only one project — the Carma subdivision — falls into an area within a half-mile of the Interstate. Carma, also known as St. Vrain Lakes, is in the early stages of planning. Early information indicates that the project will cover 1,313 acres and could accommodate between 4,800 to 5,131 units.

Frederick    Frederick has annexed three quadrants of the interchange of Colorado Highway 52 and the interstate.

The proposed Windom Hill subdivision at the northwest corner, a residential-industrial project, calls for 1,700 residential units on 700 acres, and an assortment of light-industrial uses on 35 acres. But planning is still unwinding on the project.

“You won’t see anything for the next year on the west side, (of the interstate)´ said Steve Pauken, Frederick’s town manager.

The west side includes Glacier Business Park, at the southwest corner of the interchange. That’s where the town has annexed an additional 15 acres for light industrial, commercial and retail uses in the future.

On the east side of the interstate, the Raspberry Hill development is nearly two-thirds complete, Pauken said. Four businesses are now negotiating with the owners of the property to locate on the 68-acre commercial site.

Raspberry Hill also includes a 91.6-acre housing subdivision, which could have up to 200 single-family homes, Pauken said.

Firestone    The US Alliance Federal Credit Union is in the preliminary stages of planning a 4,000-square-foot branch building in the Del Camino Junction Business Park, located near the northeast corner of I-25 and Colorado Highway 119.

Additionally, the 10,680-square-foot Arm retail building is planned for the same business park. One tenant expected in the building is a drive-through Starbuck’s coffee shop, said Cheri Andersen, town administrator for Firetone. Del Taco, a fast-food Mexican restaurant, has also announced plans to build in the business park.