Greeley annexes 325 acres of Great Western Industrial Park

GREELEY — The City of Greeley got a lot larger this week after the Greeley City Council approved annexing an industrial area that could bring high-paying jobs back to the city, but also an area that has been on Windsor’s growth plan for the last 10 years.

The council unanimously approved a request for annexation and established industrial and conservation district zoning for a 325-acre portion of the Great Western Industrial Park on the eastern edge of Windsor. The request is technically from Windsor Renewal I LLC and GWIP, LLC, but the property is managed and marketed by Broe Cos.

While adjacent to the 438-acre Carestream Health Inc. property now owned by GlobalAI, it is not the same property, said Mark Savela, senior vice president of development for Broe. Weld County earlier this month cited GlobalAI for building violations, and some have conflated the two projects.

In his presentation to the Council on Tuesday, Savela said the annexation into Greeley would help Broe attract new tenants to the Great Western Industrial Park because of the city’s water portfolio.  That in turn could return high-paying jobs to the park, which were lost when Kodak shut down in 2009, leaving hundreds out of work.

“In the past there’s been many … people looking for a spot to build, and without adequate water it’s hard to land,” Savela said. “That’s been the main driver since we approached Greeley for the last year and a half.

“It really is that water story,” he said. “The primary employer water bank that’s been created recently and 12,000-acre-feet of raw water credits really sets us apart in attracting tenants from throughout Colorado.”

While the park’s area was located primarily in unincorporated Weld County, Town of Windsor officials wanted to have some say in what happens to the property because it had been in the town’s long-range planning area for the last decade.

In a public hearing on the annexation, Windsor Mayor Julie Cline called the city’s annexation of the property tantamount to “bullying,” and she accused the council of refusing to work with Windsor and not listening to Greeley residents with concerns about the city’s growth.

“When a community talks about regional cooperation but moves forward without it, and its residents feel they’re not being heard, it does not feel like regionalism,” Cline said. “It feels like the largest community is using its size to get its way. This is bullying.”

Council member Melissa McDonald took issue with Cline’s comments, stating the two communities have had many conversations about the property: “The truth will come out, and we’ll see who the bullies are. I want to be a good neighbor too, but you have to play nice back.”

Windsor residents came to argue against the annexation, stating that they believed Greeley was only in it for the money. Still, others stated the property was surrounded almost 100% by Windsor, and being in Greeley made no sense. There also were accusations that the city of Greeley threatened to cut off water if Broe didn’t annex into the city.

Savela noted that their information was incorrect: the area is only about 50% surrounded by Windsor, and Broe was never coerced into seeking annexation into the city.

“Over the last five years, we have been evaluating uses for this property as well as 600 acres adjacent to the west and another 700 acres to the east, and most of that property is in Windsor,” Savela said.  “We’ve had a hard time solidifying a water service plan for a portion of that property. So the ability to get a water resource from Greeley” was a selling point.

“We did not get forced into annexing into Greeley,” he said.

Greeley residents stepped forward to support the annexation, as it would help create more higher-paying jobs for the area.

“When Kodak shuttered, it was devastating,” said resident Jeff Kennedy, speaking through the Council’s virtual audience. “A lot of people lost jobs. … To Windsor leadership, where have you been since Kodak shut down?… It seems Greeley is in a position to bring in (industrial jobs) and you’re pushing against it because you’re not getting a piece of the pie.”

Added Bill Gillard: “This is a great idea. … We need high industrial so we’re not a bedroom city. We need industrial so we get higher-paying jobs in Greeley. This is a good start and we need to keep doing it.”

Council Member Tom Huddleston said he was excited about bringing this portion of the park into the City: “This to me is the foundation of bringing industrial jobs back to the city … the blue-collar jobs citizens desperately need. I welcome you to our city. I understand there are a lot of people miffed about it. But it’s been in (Windsor’s) growth plan for a decade and nothing has happened. We’re excited to have you.”

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