Hughes Stadium land initiative headlines Tuesday election results in Fort Collins

FORT COLLINS — Several seats will change hands on the Fort Collins City Council on Tuesday night, including the mayor’s seat, but the most contentious result will potentially decide the fate of the land where Hughes Stadium once stood.

The 165-acre site on the city’s west side below Horsetooth Reservoir has long been under contract for sale to home developer Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN), which wanted to develop the property into a neighborhood containing between 600 and 700 homes.

However, a fierce opposition rose to protest the density of the project, which brought the size of the project down to 550. Other opponents to the project came forward to oppose construction of any kind on the land, saying instead that it should be zoned as open space.

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A vote to rezone the land for construction failed last June in a tie, which prompted the Colorado State University System to invoke a clause in state law that would allow Lennar to build without needing permission from local officials.

Currently, the CSU proposal would split the property between housing limited to 80% of the area median income, a child care center, transit depot, emergency clinic and 70 acres of open space.

In response, opponents to the development successfully placed an initiative on the ballot that would require Fort Collins to make a good-faith effort to purchase the property from the CSU System and zone it fully as open space.

Whether CSU will accept an offer from the city is unclear.

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