Proposal to rezone former Greeley Hewlett-Packard land to high-density residential fails

GREELEY — A proposal to rezone part of the former Hewlett-Packard Co. property in west Greeley from industrial to high-density residential failed in a tie vote during the Greeley City Council meeting Tuesday amid intense neighborhood opposition.

The proposal would have rezoned the last remaining unused industrial portion of the former HP property near the intersection of West 10th Street and 71st Avenue from Industrial — Low Intensity to Residential — High Density.

The measure failed even after Brian Bartels, a principal in property owner LaSalle Investors LLC, vowed to retain the property’s industrial zoning if the measure failed, rather than resubmit for lower-intensity Residential — Medium Density zoning.

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“My intent is, I’m not going to bring it back under a different zoning,” Bartels said during the public hearing on the measure Tuesday, before the vote. “It’s either going to be IL or RH. I know, after doing this for 28 years, that IL is not a good neighbor, period. If I look at the uses behind IL, I wouldn’t want any of those behind my house, from a hotel to an auto-body shop, to … I mean the list goes on and on. They’re not good neighbors.

“But my intent is, tonight, if you find that IL is a better use and a better use for that property, then my intent will be to go forward with IL,” he added. “I have no choice.”

The City Council considered the proposal at its June 7 meeting, but the property owner — with 10 community members voicing objection — asked that the rezoning be continued until July 19.

At Tuesday’s meeting, council members Tommy Butler and Deb DeBoutez, along with Mayor Pro Tem Brett Payton, voted in favor of the rezoning, with Ed Clark, Dale Hall and Johnny Olson voting in opposition. Mayor John Gates, who was absent for the June 7 City Council meeting, recused himself from the discussion and vote Tuesday evening. With a tie vote, the measure failed.

Neighborhood and council opposition centered on concerns about traffic, despite a traffic study commissioned by the applicant showing that high-density residential zoning would generate less traffic than an industrial user. 

Neighbors complained about existing traffic issues and questioned the validity of the applicant’s traffic study.

DeBoutez, speaking in favor of the rezoning, outlined a series of potential uses for the property under its current industrial zoning, which could be developed by-right, with only administrative site-plan review and no public input.

The site could include a farm with livestock, animal-care facility, 24-hour gas station, pawn shop, drive-thru restaurant, bar, hotel, RV storage, semi-truck service facility, manufacturing business, distribution center or waste-management facility, she said.

“Those can all go under IL, and the neighbors could say nothing about it,” DeBoutez said. “I feel like those are totally incompatible with this neighborhood. Residential High is dense property development. It’s high-density, it’s infill. This is a walkable neighborhood.”

LaSalle acquired the property in 2021 and demolished the remainder of the HP building.

Hewlett-Packard vacated the Greeley location in 2003, and its former property went through a succession of sales and partial rezoning. Much of the former property has been developed for retail, residential and other uses, including a city park, bank, car wash, self-storage facility, memory-care facility and other retail uses.

A chunk of the former HP building — the cafeteria and events center — was redeveloped into the West Ridge Academy at 6905 Eighth St.