Tag: What's Going on In Fort Collins

Major Growth in Northern Colorado Shown by 2020 Census

Growth in NoCo

US Census data is out and there has been Major Growth in Northern Colorado in the last 10 years.  This isn’t big news for those of us that live here.  We feel it.  Traffic is worse and there are just more people.  To be exact there are 700,000 more people in Colorado today than there were 10 years ago.  Larimer and Weld counties are some of the fastest growing in the state with Weld growing at just over 30% and Larimer County and nearly 20% since the last census was taken in 2010.  Between the two counties they added just over 135,000 people. The Larimer County area is still the most populous county in Northern Colorado, but that is predicted to change in the next 10 years with Weld County taking over. 

Commuter Crisis

Census data also shows that as Fort Collins continues to get more expensive people are flocking to smaller towns around like Windsor, Timnath and Wellington, where housing is more affordable.  All three communities have a lower median price than Fort Collins.  Fort Collins median price topped $525,000 in July 2021.  Some of the luster of living in Fort Collins has disappeared with the price increases.  Many of the smaller neighboring communities offer new homes and the commute isn’t that far.  Commuting times however are increasing as the number of people on the roads increase and air quality is being affected also.  

Future Concerns

It seems that soon the days of each community being its own island will be gone.  As growth in Northern Colorado continues, the amount of developable land is being decreased as housing units are being built.  Soon we could become one.  It will be interesting to see what the next 10 years brings to the area.  Will the cost and amount of water available slow growth?  If not will communities indeed grow together?  Does this mean that commuting times continue to increase?  As the saying goes, “time will tell.”  If you would like to be part of this growth or move away from it, contact us to find out how we can help.

Larimer County Growth:

Larimer County: 359,066 (19.8%)

Fort Collins: 169,810 (17.9%)

Loveland: 76,378 (14.2%)

Timnath: 6,487 (937.9)

Wellington: 11,047 (75.7%)

Source: 2020 Census

What’s Going on at Johnson Drive

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.