Berthoud prepared for continued growth

BERTHOUD — With the arrival of TPC Colorado and a surging local population, 2018 was a big year for economic growth in Berthoud, and economic development experts in town aren’t seeing an end in sight anytime soon.

“This is an exciting time for the town,” Walt Elish, the town’s business development manager, said Thursday during a luncheon hosted by the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce.

Since the 2010 Census, Berthoud has been the fastest-growing community in the Boulder Valley/Northern Colorado region. The population grew more than 74 percent between 2010 and 2017 from 5,105 residents to 8,889.

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That population boom brought with it a corresponding housing construction and commercial real estate uptick.

“We have a lot of good development going on all over town,” Elish said.

Much of the development is related to projects that may have slowed or stalled during the Great Recession, only to be revived during the recent economic recovery.

The town expects to process between 400 and 500 building permits in 2019, up from 264 in 2016 and 111 in 2015.

There are 2,298 total dwelling units approved to be built and 4421 units in planning stages.

“The more people we have moving into town … the more attractive we become for retail and commercial,” Elish said.

But, he noted, “We don’t only work to attract new business. We work very closely with our existing businesses … we value your investment.”

The potential for a large, mixed-use development to sprout inside a 1,600-acre property near Interstate 25 known as Wilson Ranch is particularly exciting for local business and economic-development leaders.

“We’re prepared. We’ve been planning for this for years,” Elish said.

Berthoud planners and developers are emphasizing regional and intra-town connectivity. The goal is ensure that Mountain Avenue remains a lively corridor that connects new projects near I-25 with development closer to U.S. Highway 287.

The impact of the TPC Colorado golf-course development on growth around Berthoud cannot be understated, Elish said, as he urged local business owners to be prepared for an influx of new customers when golf season kicks off.

He said a Web.com Tour tournament set for this summer is expected to bring as many as 25,000 visitors to Berthoud.

The course will also present a new a way to draw high-powered business executives to town.

“The town is prepared to use that as a advantage,” Elish said.