Northern Colorado downtowns work to re-create themselves

By Christopher Ortiz

cortiz@fortcollinsnow.com

It wasn't too long ago when shoppers who wanted to go to a JCPenney or Sears would head downtown, not out to a strip mall on the fringe of the city.

Downtowns were once not only the heart of cities but their retail and economic engines as well. But with urban sprawl, the dawn of suburbia and the advent of malls, staple stores such as Sears left the oldtowns and downtowns, leaving a void that can be hard to fill.

But like the saccharine Petula Clark song, downtowns are hoping "things will be great" when you go.

Now downtowns have or want the role of being the cultural and art center of their communities, replacing big box stores with art galleries and theaters.

The downtowns of Loveland, Greeley and Fort Collins all have their own stories of how they dealt with the transformation.

Greeley's downtown struggle is not new. For years, it has dealt with dwindling shop owners and foot traffic, rising vacancies and aging infrastructure.

Downtown stores picked up and left for greener pastures at the Greeley Mall and strip malls. But taking a cue from Fort Collins, Greeley's downtown hopes to transform into the city's art and entertainment destination.

"Big box stores have moved to the suburbs, now city centers have moved themselves in niche areas," said Mark Olson, executive director of the Greeley Downtown Development Association. "It's almost a blessing in disguise that big box stores have moved out. It was negative at first, drawing business but the good point is that is forced city centers to develop unique ways to draw shoppers to their locale.

"It may have seemed like a curse at the beginning but it forced downtowns to get their act together -- create or have businesses that have special niches."

At the beginning of the year, Greeley's downtown announced it was aiming to be the arts and entertainment heart of the city. Subcommittees formed and plans for a new museum and art theater -- the Kress Cinema and Lounge -- will help the 56 city blocks that make up Greeley downtown become the cultural heart of the city.

"Building the arts and entertainment center will take years to grow but its up and going," he said.

When he gets calls from people worried that downtown is not the same he says, "Yeah, it isn't."

Greeley has received aid from the Colorado Community Revitalization Association's Colorado Main Street Program. The program works with revitalizing oldtowns.

In 2008, the DDA will ask the Greeley City Council to make downtown an official cultural center, making it eligible for special concessions including exceptions to noise violations laws and arts and entertainment funds.

Though there is no magic bullet to the downtown's success, Olson said the closest thing to one is the student body at the University of Northern Colorado.

"If we can attract a slice of that population to come down, we'll be accelerating downtown," he said.

Loveland's downtown story is similar. It too is forced with transforming from a retail hub to a cultural center.

Randy Cruz, president of the Downtown Loveland Association, said the area plans to take advantage of the city's arts reputation and hopes to entice shoppers to find a unique experience in Loveland.

The revitalization of Loveland's downtown include the newly renovated Rialto Theater on Fourth Street.

With McWhinney's Centerra development now the city's retail center, Cruz said it's the downtown area's job to convince shoppers to travel a bit further to find a different and unique experience.

In Fort Collins, Old Town is thriving and seems to have found its new role.

Already it has become a cultural pulse for Fort Collins, with numerous art galleries, theaters and music venues.

And Old Town's cultural reputation will further be cemented with the coming of Beet Street, an art and cultural initiative project coming in 2008. Plans for Beet Street include a future amphitheater, lecture series, summer concerts and a summer Shakespeare festival.

There also are plans for an upscale hotel in Old Town.

"A lot of projects are happening," said David Short, executive director of the Fort Collins Downtown Business Association. "I think that downtowns are always changing."

But Old Town has dealt with its struggles.

After the departure of J. Pitner Clothing Co., one of the few retail chains left in the area, many wondered if there was a vender big enough to fill the hole. It was eventually replaced by Stonehouse Grille. The area also deals with the balance of restaurants versus retail. Some shop owners have expressed concern that Old Town has become too overrun by bars and restaurants and needs more of a retail presence.

Nonetheless, both retail and restaurants have continued to see increased sales in Old Town. The latest city tax report showed revenue in Old Town up 8 percent from last year.

"There is always a lot going on," Short said, adding that Old Town is not a "shop and leave" destination.

Tax Districts

Downtowns in northern Colorado have been able to reinvent themselves or least start thinking about reinventing because of special tax districts created allowing them to keep a percentage of property taxes.

Greeley's downtown Tax Increment Financing District, approved in 2001, is expected to annually generate about $250,000 shortly, allowing money to be used on upgrading infrastructure and help entice vendors to move there, Olson said.

In Fort Collins, the Downtown Development Authority has reinvested $26 million into Old Town in the past 25 years. That figure includes money generated from an increase in the bond ceiling limit approved by property owners in 2006. Half of that money went toward public improvement projects, such as improvements to parking structures and infrastructure. The other half went toward improvements of private building projects.

While Loveland has a Urban Redevelopment Authority District, Cruz said it hasn't been as successful as hoped but said the progress of the city-backed Loveland Downtown Team will help bring dollars to the area. The team has identified $12 million in near-future capital projects in downtown Loveland.

Competition

Though strip malls and shopping centers are the main cause of the changes forced upon downtowns, leaders say there can be a win-win relationship.

Cruz said Centerra allows Loveland's downtown to highlight its unique shops and restaurants and added that downtowns and shopping centers can have a symbiotic relationship, both benefiting from each other.

In Greeley, its different opportunities, such as an ice skating rink, unique shops and restaurants will allow the downtown to thrive at the same time the city's shopping opportunities grow.

Though Short said downtowns are aware of other shopping opportunities, they are not changing because of them.

"They don't affect what we do too much," he said. "Our goal is just to give people the best downtown experience possible."

And he said, he has seen the return of big box stores to downtowns, citing the example of a Gap opening in downtown Lawrence, Kan.

"The trend is reverting back," he said.

"There are some aspects of competition, but we hope people will circulate," he said.

Apparently the appeal of shopping in a downtown setting is clear to McWhinney.

Projected to open in fall 2009, Grand Station at Centerra will be a 1 million-square-foot, 60-acre, mixed-use development. It will be located within Centerra, the McWhinney master-planned community just east of The Promenade Shops at Interstate 25 and U.S. 34.

From models and drawing, it very much looks like a ideal downtown, just not an authentic one.

"You can't recreate history," Short said. "Our buildings have been here for years and years."