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Tag: Economic development

Hunter: Fort Morgan ribbon cutting celebrates purpose and partnership at Leprino’s only string cheese facility
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Hunter: Fort Morgan ribbon cutting celebrates purpose and partnership at Leprino’s only string cheese facility

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice There’s something deeply satisfying about a slice of pizza. Maybe it’s the gooey mozzarella that stretches with every bite or the quiet delight of knowing where that cheese comes from, especially when it’s right in your backyard. Recently, I had the opportunity to join Leprino Foods in Fort Morgan, Colorado, for their Fort Morgan Area Chamber of Commerce Red Ribbon Ceremony. The event wasn’t just a formal ribbon-cutting—it was a bold step forward in deepening community connections, fueled by purpose, people, and plenty of cheese. The afternoon began with a warm welcome led by Conor Kokes, Continuous Improvement Specialist and the driving force behind Leprino’s Community Impact Team. Conor kicked things off with...
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Grand Junction Zip Line Project Fizzles Despite Lavish Public Subsidies
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Local, Approved, The Business Times

Grand Junction Zip Line Project Fizzles Despite Lavish Public Subsidies

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times The Las Colonias Riverfront Zip Adventures zip line, which was launched after initial delays in August 2023, then shut down partway through 2024, remains inactive in 2025. As an anchor business for the $30 million Riverfront development, Bonsai Design, a company that designs aerial-adventure courses and owns the zip line, secured $1.69 million in taxpayer-funded incentives, including payment of development fees, impact fees, land-lease discounts, property-tax breaks and grant support. Bonsai also was entrusted with operating the zip line, adding jobs and recruiting other outdoor businesses to fill the park. The online bookings page for the zip line states: “We are closed for the remainder of 2024. Thanks for a great season and we hope to se...
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“A deadline without a plan”: how rural Colorado is building the energy future the state won’t
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories

“A deadline without a plan”: how rural Colorado is building the energy future the state won’t

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In May 2023, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB 23‑1247, directing the Colorado Energy Office to study advanced energy solutions — from nuclear and geothermal to long-duration storage — in regions facing coal-plant closures like Craig Station. The law included $50,000 from the Just Transition Fund and federal support to study firm energy options in northwest Colorado. Within months, coal facilities began closing across the state—including Craig Station, now set to shutter by 2028. While studies are underway, comprehensive transition plans are still being reviewed. Facing job losses and shrinking tax bases, rural communities are taking charge. “There’s a closing schedule—but no roadmap,” said Matt Solomon, project manager for the Northwest Colorado En...
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Hancock: The future of Colorado hangs between boom and blackout
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Substack, Top Stories

Hancock: The future of Colorado hangs between boom and blackout

By Michael A. Hancock | Commentary, Substack There's a difference between dreaming big and hallucinating. Colorado's progressive legislators have yet to figure that out. Once a beacon of frontier grit and entrepreneurial promise, Colorado is drifting into a twilight of self-imposed stagnation. This isn't the result of some unforeseeable external shock. No. The decline is being engineered — brick by legislative brick — by a political class more interested in social signaling than in fostering economic vitality. The question isn't whether Colorado faces a reckoning. The question is whether we will admit the cause before we hit the wall. Let's start with energy, the lifeblood of any serious economy. Colorado holds a wealth of natural resources—oil, gas, coal, and uranium— all of ...
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Walcher: We built it, and they still won’t come
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Approved, GregWalcher.com, Rocky Mountain Voice

Walcher: We built it, and they still won’t come

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Building a new subdivision is complicated. Almost every city and county in America have master plans dictating “conforming uses” of land. Most specify lot and home sizes, rules for vehicle access, water supply, sewage disposal, flood control, affordable housing, and park space. Those are addressed in lengthy application processes and public hearings, all preceding building the infrastructure, and then the homes. The National Association of Home Builders says government regulations account for 24 percent of the final price of new homes. Sixty percent of that comes during planning and development, only 40 percent during actual construction. Those costs are many times higher when building businesses or industries. So, how much cheape...
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‘I can’t do business in Denver now’: Developers flee as climate mandates bite
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

‘I can’t do business in Denver now’: Developers flee as climate mandates bite

By Mark Samuelson | Denver Gazette While Colorado is earning praise from climate advocates for its new mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, developers and their economists are giving D and F grades to the state and its capital city, blaming the regulations for a noticeable decline in some projects. Representatives for developers and property owners are flagging new data showing a marked drop-off in investments and revenues from commercial projects in Colorado. That decline, they said, follows directly on the heels of Colorado's adoption of some of the nation’s boldest carbon-reducing strategies. The regulations include the Energize Denver ordinance, adopted unanimously by the Denver City Council in 2021. The ordinance seeks to reduce carbon emissions from larger commercial...
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Bass Pro to build a 130,000-square-foot store in Loveland
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Bass Pro to build a 130,000-square-foot store in Loveland

By Alexander Kirk | Denver Gazette, via 9News Bass Pro Shops is planning its sixth location in Colorado. The outdoor retail company is constructing a 130,000-square-foot Outdoor World store in Loveland. The store is located in the "Brands at the Ranch" mixed-use development, off Interstate 25 and Crossroads Boulevard, near the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Blue Arena. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Meadows Apartments, a $25 million project in Craig, will be supported by $2.7 million state grant
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Approved, Local, The Steamboat Pilot

Meadows Apartments, a $25 million project in Craig, will be supported by $2.7 million state grant

By Suzie Romig  | The Steamboat Pilot Craig Economic Development Manager Shannon Scott is excited that $2.7 million in state funding will assist a 96-unit rental apartment project for attainable workforce housing. Formerly known as the Woodbury Park Apartments, the overall estimated $25 million project is in the final stages of land procurement for five acres of private, industrially zoned land located south of downtown Craig, Scott said Thursday. In addition to a new location, the project has a new name, the Meadows Apartments. The overall cost of the housing project is estimated between $25 million and $29 million, said Heidi Dragoo, director of community relations for the Montrose-based, family-owned development company Colorado Outdoors, which is leading the project. READ T...
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Developer sues Castle Pines after City Council denied McDonald’s plan
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Developer sues Castle Pines after City Council denied McDonald’s plan

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado In Castle Pines, a fight over a proposed McDonald's has escalated to a legal battle. Developers want to build a 3,671-square-foot McDonald's with a two-lane drive-through near Castle Pines Parkway and Lagae Road. It would be part of the soon-to-be-developed "Parkway Plaza," which has already been approved by the City Council. But in March, neighbors showed up in droves to the planning commission's meeting to speak out against the proposal. The commission denied the application and the issue was appealed to the City Council to be discussed at a May meeting, where community members again spoke out against the development. The Council voted 5-2 against the site improvement plan and was met with cheers from the audience. READ THE FULL STORY AT CB...
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Indoor water surfing facility eyed for Colorado Springs’ north side
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Indoor water surfing facility eyed for Colorado Springs’ north side

By Rich Laden | Colorado Springs Gazette Surf’s up — on Colorado Springs’ landlocked north side, of all places. Surf Shack, a planned, two-story 12,000-square-foot recreation center, would bring indoor water surfing to Polaris Pointe, the retail and commercial development southeast of Interstate 25 and North Gate Boulevard, according to a proposal submitted to city government officials. As envisioned, Surf Shack would employ a wave machine manufactured by San Diego-based FlowRider, whose technology dates back more than 30 years and simulates ocean waves for riders, according to the company’s website. FlowRider machines can be found in water parks, hotels and on cruise ships, among other places. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
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