Look at What Greeley and Colorado Eagles Want to Build

The city of Greeley and Windsor’s Water Valley Company took their first public step toward growing a 5,000-acre development in west Greeley — an area developer and Colorado Eagles owner Martin Lind calls the heart of Northern Colorado. The proposed development would include an ice arena for the Colorado Eagles hockey team.

In just 10 minutes, the Greeley City Council met, commented and voted unanimously to have the city explore the viability of the vision Lind hopes will come to life at U.S. 34 and County Road 17.

It’s a project the official document calls the West Side Project, “a mixed-use, transit-oriented, entertainment district development that includes a new arena and ice center, a new transit center/multimodal hub with connections to local, intercity and national bus service, retail, lodging (which is anticipated to include a water park hotel), and mixed-income and affordable housing.”

By comparison, Loveland’s Centerra is 3,000 acres. Lind’s own RainDance and Water Valley Windsor developments combined near 5,000 acres.

The city and Water Valley Company began project talks a year ago when Greeley officials approached Lind on a “bigger idea,” he said.

The West Side Project puts two things front and center that Lind had hoped would come to life in Larimer County at or near The Ranch Events Complex: a new arena/events center, hotel and water park.

“The Greeley staff is beyond dynamic. They worked so hard and in such good faith that it got very sincere very fast,” Lind said.

Lind has been acquiring land in the area. Greeley has 1,000 acres as well, he said.

The first phase would cover about 800 acres.

Why a New Arena Home for the Colorado Eagles?

Lind says buildings like the Blue Arena have a “shelf life” of 25 years. Buildings wear out, and new technology and innovations emerge that aren’t easy to retrofit. Much has changed since the Larimer County Fairgrounds opened in 2003, Lind says, including that Northern Colorado has added what he estimates to be 500,000 people to the greater region since then.

The proposed arena would seat 8,600, include three sheets of ice and have public spaces. The current Blue Arena has 5,200 seats.

The Greeley-Water Valley Company Partnership Agreement

According to the memorandum of understanding approved on July 30, the city of Greeley will:

• Evaluate the feasibility, costs, and public benefits of building a new arena, ice center, and other parts of the West Side Project, including necessary utilities and infrastructure.
• Examine options for purchasing arena land or compensating Water Valley for the site.
• Explore various financing options, including bonds and public improvement fees.
• Assess the water supply.
• Secure trademarks.
• Conduct economic impact studies.
• Consider creating special management and taxing districts or entities to support the project's development.

The Water Valley team is responsible for creating a conceptual plan for a new water park hotel and events complex next to the arena, assessing the market for commercial and residential uses, and providing market reports. It must update the city on the financial performance of the Colorado Eagles and efforts to involve the Northern Colorado Youth Hockey program. Additionally, the developer will create a marketing plan and provide the city with various analyses, designs, plans, projections, and other materials related to the West Side Project.

“If we hit a fatal flaw, then it's over,” Lind said.

Nothing But Enthusiasm Appears to Exist for Vision

The goal, he said, is “to create a paradigm shift when you enter Greeley.”

“I go where the puck is going,” Lind said. “And the puck is going to West Greeley whether the Eagles go or not. That's where it's growing. And that's because of water, available land, stable soils, political will. You just started layering them all up and West Greeley is going to be where Northern Colorado grows.”

The Greeley City Council appears to have that will and vision with enthusiastic and thankful comments shared before Tuesday night’s votes.

Councilor Melissa McDonald’s comment echoed all members’ sentiments.

“This is a really exciting endeavor that we are about to go into …  development that is happening on one side of the city, the other side of the city benefits from it as well. So, our downtown area is going to thrive and it’s going to be this economic place that everyone is going to want to come to. Thank you for being a part of this … it is going to change the trajectory of Greeley.”

Research results should be completed in eight to 10 weeks, the city manager said.

What could the proposed Colorado Eagles arena and development look like? Keep scrolling to see renderings for Greeley’s West Side Project.