255 Johnson Drive has been a self storage unit for many years. However, if you have been out on the Spring Creek trail recently you have likely noticed that there is a lot of heavy machinery working to tear down the old buildings. If you are curious what is going on you have come to the right place. Based on our research back in 2017 Russel + Mill Studios submitted a development proposal for that location. Since then it has traversed through neighborhood meetings and development review resulting in the project taking place today. This will be a six story mixed use building building featuring commercial and retail space on the ground floor. Above will be multi family dwellings totaling 195 units with 405 beds. These will likely be marketed as student apartments due to the buildings close proximity to the Colorado State University Fort Collins Campus.

In order to build this project the Johnson Drive Storage Units will be torn down along with 3 multifamily residences on the East side of the parcel in question. This development will likely bring a lot of increased demand to businesses and infrastructure in the area. However, utilizing a mixed use design should help mitigate some of those impacts. Additionally, the central location in the midtown area along with ease of access to public transportation including the Max line as well as the spring creek trail will hopefully prevent dramatic increases in traffic. The only thing that is constant is change, especially in the dynamic and growing community of Fort Collins, CO.

An artist rendering of the new building is below. Additional Information pertaining to the development proposal can be accessed through the City of Fort Collins Development Review Site. Additional architectural and conceptual drawings can be accessed on Mode 3 Architecture’s Website.