Editor's Note: 'Our Colorado' helps us all navigate the challenges related to growth while celebrating life in the state we love. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at OurCO@TheDenverChannel.com. See more 'Our Colorado' stories here.
WINDSOR, Colo. -- In a town of about 30,000 people, business owners on Windsor’s Main Street differ in opinion on new developments plans.
Renderings of the project provided by town officials show the planning stages of future development comprising three new buildings.
One of those buildings would contain retail, commercial and residential space with a view to the lake, which would be built over an existing parking lot.
That parking lot is in the works of being moved one block away.
Further down the street will be the construction of a three-story residential building with its own underground parking.
Owner of Memory Lane Antiques, Dan Stauss, says he’s been waiting for this revitalization for a while.
“I’ve been here in Windsor for 26 years so I’ve seen it from 2,000 people all the way up to 32,000 people. And for 26 years I’ve been waiting for Windsor to turn the corner and to get some great economic development in and some exciting businesses coming downtown, so we don’t have the leakage of our customers and our citizens going to Fort Collins, going to Loveland and spending their tax dollars here.”
On the matter of parking, Kim Bullard, who works on Main Street, believes the move will hurt local businesses.
“I work at Manweiler Appliances, it’s in the middle of the 400 block here and they want to put parking two blocks down. For the employees that work there and the people that use the park and in the winter time when there’s a blizzard, I don’t want to walk two blocks to get to work,” she said.
Town of Windsor officials say they are still in planning stages and need approval for all projects.
Mayor Krisitie Melendez says one the first things they would do is switch the parking as well as get rid of all overhead lines and move them underground.
“The first thing that we will do once we solidify the project is... we have an Xcel Energy fund, an underground fund; we’re going to use that fund to take out all of this wire that you see and they’re all going to be underground.”