Loveland – Buffalo grass and a few coffee shops used to hug the intersection of Interstate 25 and U.S. 34 just over a decade ago, but now more than 1 million square feet of new commerce has moved into what many people call the epicenter of growth in northern Colorado.
More office buildings, auto dealers and roads are coming. On Wed nesday, McWhinney Enterprises is scheduled to announce plans for another 1 million square feet of mixed-use development not far from the company’s 16-month-old, 700,000-square-foot Promenade Shops at Centerra mall.
Already underway is construction permanently altering the roughly 17-mile stretch of interstate between the Johnstown/ Milliken exit and Colorado 14.
“You can stand just about anywhere near the intersection and see seven or eight buildings going up,” said Tom Peterson, a former Fort Collins city planner and now a partner with Stanford Real Estate. “There is some real momentum here.”
Some residents are worried the headlong development will further choke local traffic. Others have little faith that local governments will be able to plan and pay for all the infrastructure improvements needed to handle the crush of businesses and people.
“All these cities – Windsor, Loveland, Fort Collins – are planning like crazy for all of this crazy growth, but no one wants to admit we need some major upgrades, and we need somebody to cough up some major money,” said Larimer County resident Will Geiger.
But proponents say nearly everyone will benefit from the massive expansion of business in southern Larimer and western Weld County, prompted by a population boom over the past 10 years.
The Fort Collins/Loveland Airport, for instance, is expected to get more than $7 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to help lengthen its main runway, build a control tower, and expand parking and passenger terminals to handle expected upturns in air traffic generated by new business.
The increase in commuter traffic along U.S. 34 – from 32,000 trips a day to 64,000 in the next 20 years – will be offset by widened roadways thanks to the $200 million McWhinney will pay to defray the costs of growth.
“This will have great lasting effects for the community,” said Keith Reester, Loveland’s Public Works director.
Jennifer George needs little convincing of the benefits of the growth. George was impressed with the care and space given to her at the new Medical Center of the Rockies, where she delivered her baby in February.
“This is a real first-class hospital,” said George, who lives in south Fort Collins. But the new facility is closer than her old hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, so she happily traded familiarity for convenience.
The $240 million hospital opened Feb. 14. Also inside the facility is the Heart Center of the Rockies, which includes a group of 18 heart specialists.
“This is all part of offering the best product to residents here and across the region,” said Dr. Gary Luckasen, president of the center.
Dr. Mark Guadagnoli, who used to work at Poudre Valley Hospital, once scoffed at the idea that someday the confluence of U.S. 34 and I-25 could support a new hospital.
“There was nothing out here in 1989, just a bunch of grass and not much else,” he said. “I really didn’t believe the projections of growth here.”
Longtime Loveland resident Ed Fisher is more skeptical about growth. He said U.S. 34 already is too congested, and state and federal highway dollars are scarce for any needed improvements.
“I think plans to help out the local roads here have been mostly passed over,” he said. “Sure, it’s good we don’t have to go to Denver because we have all those nice shops. Still, the roads are going to get worse.”
Denver Post staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
