Tesla plans service facility in Loveland

LOVELAND — Loveland may soon be home to a Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) business, although not necessarily a dealership.

The electric-vehicle manufacturer and retailer has begun seeking the necessary permits to rehabilitate the former Davidson Chevrolet dealership location at 1604 N. Lincoln Ave.

The facility was purchased in September 2020 by Drake Loveland Motor Partners LLC, a company affiliated with Drake Real Estate Services Inc., 496 S. Broadway in Denver. The purchase price was $3.675 million, and the seller was Powersports Properties LLC.

Drake Real Estate has created multiple limited liability companies in recent months, including Drake Motor Partners Memphis LLC, Drake Motor Partners Liberty Lake LLC (Spokane, Washington), Drake Motor Partners Four LLC and Drake Motor City Partners LLC. The Memphis, Tennessee, entity purchased a former Hyundai dealership, and the Shelby County Chamber Alliance speculated that it would house a Tesla dealership.

Jon Hauser, CEO of Drake Real Estate Services, said he is restricted by a non-disclosure agreement from talking about his tenant but said the tenant was the same in both Loveland and Memphis.

The 1604 N. Lincoln facility is listed in county records as a 24,710-square-foot showroom building and a 9,720-square-foot service garage. Powersports paid $800,000 when it bought the facility in 2011, according to records.

Justine Bruno, assistant to the Loveland city manager, said a tenant-finish application and sign-permit application have been filed with the city. “It’s our understanding that this is not a dealership but will be for [vehicle] repairs and associated services,” she said.

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