Development for Greeley’s Catalyst project surged forward on Wednesday, following many months of legal setbacks, as Mayor John Gates and Water Valley CEO Martin Lind broke ground at the project site.
“West Greeley is rapidly growing and expanding, and with Catalyst and Cascadia, we are committed to ensuring that growth is intentional, balanced and reflects the needs of our community,” Gates said. “This groundbreaking sends a clear message: Greeley is ready to compete not just locally but on a regional and national stage.”
Receiving council approval in late April, the Catalyst project is an entertainment district development that will include a new luxury hotel, a water park and a hockey arena that will be the new home of the Colorado Eagles minor league hockey team. Since its approval, the city has secured $115 million in funding for predevelopment and has recently agreed to primary terms with the ownership of the Eagles, positioning the team as the primary revenue generator for the project.
“We’re doing so much more than breaking ground,” Lind said. “We’re breaking stereotypes. We’re breaking molds that everybody thought Greeley was going to be, and nobody has a clue what Greeley’s going to be today now.”
The groundbreaking marks the start of the project’s horizontal development phase, which City Manager Raymond Lee said will be the backbone for everything being built in Catalyst. This phase involves the construction of roads, utilities and systems to accommodate the massive amount of water that will be flowing into Catalyst.
The project requires about 235 acre-feet of water, representing about 1% of Greeley’s annual supply, according to Lee. That amounts to the annual indoor and outdoor use of anywhere from 470 to 940 homes, according to state water usage estimates.
A key part of this phase of the project includes the city’s planned mobility hub to mitigate and alleviate traffic impacts. The hub will bring transit, parking, biking and pedestrian access into one connected system. Lee also said the city has been in discussions with the Colorado Department of Transportation and Weld County to make long-term improvements to U.S. Highway 34.
“This means a family can take a bus to an Eagles game, employees can bike or drive to work, and visitors from across northern Colorado can arrive without gridlock becoming a barrier,” Lee said. “But the hope isn’t just about convenience, it’s about preparing for the future.”
City staff will next focus on accelerating the predevelopment work, which is already 30% complete. The city is also working to create food and beverage retail opportunities for the district, which is expected to get a new name in the next several months.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.greeleytribune.com ’
