Greeley council extends incentives to lure house-printing company

GREELEY — Greeley’s City Council, in a special meeting Thursday, concurred with the recommendation of city staff about extending incentives to a company that would relocate its North American headquarters to Greeley and expand its efforts to 3D-print houses out of concrete.

After an executive session, the council returned to public session and voted 5-0 to approve a motion to provide $2.85 million to help the company relocate. The vote is not final; the motion directed the city manager to negotiate the final terms about how the incentive amounts would be managed. City Manager Raymond Lee is to return to the council at another special meeting scheduled for July 11 to report the outcome of those negotiations and to seek the council’s final vote on the matter.

As BizWest reported Thursday, Alquist LLC, now based in Muscatine, Iowa, would move its headquarters to Greeley. The deal as outlined in city documents would have the city offer a five-year forgivable loan for $750,000 if the company meets certain conditions, would extend $100,000 in moving expense reimbursements and would provide a construction grant up to $2 million.

Alquist would build a 20,000-square-foot facility on the west side of Greeley and establish a downtown business office. It would work with Aims Community College on an eight-week 3D printing certificate program and hire students that come through that program; certified workers will earn about $70,000 a year.

The deal as outlined also would give the city access to the technology that it could license to contractors to build 3D generated homes, which could be accomplished at less cost than traditional construction, thus providing less expensive housing in the community.

“This is a win, win, win,” said council member Dale Hall. “It’s good for the city, for affordable housing, it’s good for Aims and for Habitat (for Humanity.)”

Hall wanted to keep the project moving and amended the motion to include the July 11 deadline for the next step.

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