Zion Lutheran developing plans for Grace Village near Wellington

WELLINGTON — The Zion Lutheran Church in Wellington has formed a nonprofit to develop Grace Village, a faith-based campus that will consist of affordable housing, senior housing, assisted-living, skilled-nursing and child-care services for the general public.

Mark Gabbert, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, said major funding for the project will come from donations and investors, having set up the nonprofit to receive monetary gifts and grants. He said the group also is working on partnering with about 20 churches in Northern Colorado on the project that will be implemented in phases over time.

The nonprofit corporation, called Grace Village, Wellington, was formed in 2016. It is negotiating the purchase of 48 acres of farmland at the southeast corner of Colorado Highway 1 and Jefferson Avenue in Larimer County at Wellington’s western edge. The property is owned by the Theodore and Barbara Louden Trust and is being leased as a sod farm. Gabbert hopes the land deal will be completed by March 2018.

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A general contractor for the project has not yet been selected, but Gabbert said the nonprofit has been approached by several contractors after word began spreading of the plans.

Gabbert said developer Fred Croci has been guiding the nonprofit’s board of directors through the initial planning stages as the project’s development consultant.

The nonprofit’s board of directors will conduct a press conference to reveal plans to the public from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Fort Collins Senior Center, 1200 Raintree Drive.