Great Western master plan sets course for development

WINDSOR –– The Broe Group in Denver has taken steps to shorten the time it takes prospective tenants to build in its Great Western Industrial Park in Windsor.

By recently pre-platting 1,800 acres of the 3,000-acre park prior to the sale or leasing of vacant land, Broe has “significantly reduced the time” for prospective tenants to move in, said Dean Brown, vice president of industrial for the Broe Real Estate Group. Brown said platting the property often takes more time than installing infrastructure and constructing a building.

Once land has been purchased by a tenant, Broe will begin infrastructure construction on the site, he said.

“We will be making a multimillion-dollar investment in the sewer, water, storm drain, electrical, communications, gas and transportation infrastructure at the park,” Brown said.

Denver-based OmniTRAX Inc., a transportation services company and subsidiary of The Broe Group, manages the park. It has partnered with Colliers International to market recently approved industrial and mixed-use plats in the park that is located at the southeast corner of Colorado 257 and Eastman Parkway.

With a revised master plan, Broe can accommodate buildings from 60,000 square feet to 1 million square feet with available lots ranging from two to 200 acres. Brown said Broe will divide or combine lots to accommodate prospective tenants. There are 300 acres of land on which Broe can extend rail service of its Great Western Railway of Colorado LLC, providing tenants access to interchanges with Union Pacific and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railways.

Broe is also planning to extend Crossroads Boulevard running east and west through the south end of the park, connecting to Colorado Highway 257 on the west side of the park.

Brown said the group is in talks with several prospective tenants for either the acquisition or lease of land in the park, but he declined to name them.

Town of Windsor planning records show a cat-litter manufacturing company has submitted plans for a 52,000-square-foot building in the park.

Brown said companies in various stages of the sales cycle are mostly in the energy, manufacturing and technology industries. There has been interest in the park from companies in the liquid and dry bulk, lumber, steel plate, coil, pipe, plastics and construction-products industries.

Broe is working with the town of Windsor to accommodate a prospect’s requirements in the shortest possible time frame. The town of Windsor will provide incentive options that include tax relief and fast-track approval for site acquisition and/or facility development. State tax breaks are available through the Weld County Enterprise Zone, Brown confirmed.

Currently, 325 acres of the park have been developed, anchored by Owens Illinois, Vestas Wind Systems, Halliburton, Hexcel, Cargill, Schlumberger, Blue Water, Crall, Front Range Energy and Musket. Combined, the companies provide 1,700 jobs. Three buildings in the park are owned by Kodak Alaris and Carestream, according to Broe spokesman Ron Margulis.

Brown said a recent market study revealed that the area needs 200 acres of rail-served industrial land, 45 acres of commercial and retail, two hotels, space for multifamily housing and space for offices. Brown said Broe is still determining if it will go forward with a 40-plus-acre mixed-use development in the northwest corner of the park at Colorado Highway 257 and Eastman Parkway.

Erik Halverson, vice president of industrial development for OmniTRAX, said in a prepared statement that with the “industrial renaissance occurring in the United States, we are seeing an increased focus from companies on the efficiencies of their supply chain.”

T.J. Smith of Colliers International believes the sites will attract companies outside of the energy sector.

“GWIP has always been on the radar for heavy-industrial users with rail, and will continue to be,” he said in a prepared statement. “However, now we have the opportunity to expand our marketing efforts to all industrial/flex users.”

Neighboring development

Colorado National Sports Park LLC, led by Jeff Katofsky, plans to develop 100 acres of land north of the Great Western Industrial Park.

Katofsky, a Southern California attorney, property developer and minor-league baseball team owner, became the majority owner of the planned sports park earlier this year. The LLC acquired the land in the Diamond Valley subdivision from the town of Windsor on Feb. 22 of this year, according to Weld County records, after the town board voted to deed the property to the developers for the sports complex. The land currently has three ball fields and a concession stand. Fifty of the 100 acres are vacant.

Katofsky said Colorado National Sports Park will include fields for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer, along with retail, and between 200 and 300 hotel rooms. “We’ll even have pickle ball courts. … I will be able to provide more details on the project in 60 to 90 days. But I can say that if we do this, the community will be proud of it, and it will become an epicenter for not just Windsor but also Northern Colorado.” Katofsky hopes to break ground by spring 2020.

Katofsky declined to name other investors in the project, but confirmed that former Colorado Rockies player Ryan Spilsborgh is involved. Two years ago, Spilsborgh was involved with a similar but larger project called the Rocky Mountain Sports Park planned for about 490 acres north of Windsor off Harmony Road that has since been abandoned. Katofsky said Steve Chasteen, who had been a driving force in that project, is no longer involved with the Colorado National Sports Park.

Katofsky said he will be meeting with Brown to discuss both his plans for the sports park and Broe’s plans for the industrial park.

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