Firestone – One of the fastest-growing towns in Colorado will soon get a huge commercial boost with the expected opening of an American Furniture Warehouse megastore next year.
Town officials Thursday night unanimously approved plans for a 520,000-square-foot American Furniture facility at Interstate 25 and Firestone Boulevard. It will be the 11th store in the chain and the second-largest, company officials say.
“Welcome to Firestone,” Town Trustee Charlie Thomas said after the vote.
The store expects to draw customers along the north I-25 corridor to Fort Collins and from communities up to 200 miles east of the town, said American Furniture general manager Andrew Zuppa.
“We think this will be ground zero for us,” Zuppa said.
Firestone will get sorely needed retail development and job growth in return. American Furniture plans to hire up to 300 people for jobs well above the minimum wage, Zuppa said.
Besides drawing as many as 10,000 customers a weekend, the store is expected to attract other big-box retailers, smaller stores and restaurants on the 160-acre site, bringing more sales-tax revenue.
Mayor Mike Simone said a recent survey showed that 75 percent of shoppers at Safeway in Firestone didn’t live in Firestone. The town has a 3 percent sales tax and no food tax.
“This is pretty exciting for us,” Simone said. “This will put us on the map.”
Firestone and neighboring Frederick, both in southwest Weld County, are two of the fastest-growing towns in the country. Firestone grew 123.7 percent between 2000 and 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, while Frederick grew 88.5 percent.
Firestone’s population is about 4,269, and Frederick’s is 4,651.
It only makes sense that American Furniture would want to a be a cornerstone in the quickly burgeoning north I-25 area, Zuppa said.
“We were looking for the next big high-growth region, and this is the perfect spot for us,” he said.
American Furniture bought the Firestone parcel for $8.8 million, said officials. American Furniture will get a 75 percent rebate on all sales tax collected at the site to pay for roads, sewer, water and other public infrastructure.
The incentive package will remain in place for 15 years or until it reaches a cap of $11 million, Simone said.
“The agreement helped,” Simone said, “but I think our town’s strong leadership helped bring them here.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
