The Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority board voted unanimously Thursday to spend $100,000 studying roughly 150 acres around the Drake Road and College Avenue intersection — the first step toward expanding an urban renewal plan whose anchor redevelopment project has fallen through.23
The study is the legal prerequisite for adding land to the College and Drake Urban Renewal Plan. Under Colorado urban renewal law, the authority can only bring new property into a plan after a study finds the area "blighted," a statutory term, and after City Council holds an evidentiary public hearing on that finding. The resolution adopted Sept. 24 commissions the study, appropriates the money from the authority's reserves and directs staff to draft a plan amendment for the board, and then the council, to consider.2
The study area covers about five times the land in the existing plan. It runs north along College Avenue to roughly the southern edge of the Prospect South tax-increment district near Whole Foods, south to about Del Clair Road, east to Remington Street and west along Drake Road to Bay Road, taking in McClelland Drive, the Larimer County Canal No. 2 and an office park south of Drake. Much of the land west of College is owned by Colorado State University. Staff must mail notice to every property owner in the study area within 30 days, and stressed that falling inside the study boundary does not mean a property will be recommended for inclusion.23
When City Council adopted the plan in January 2020, it covered about 30 acres and 13 parcels, and its centerpiece was redeveloping the former Spradley Barr Mazda dealership at the intersection's southwest corner into a mixed-use project with market-rate and affordable housing, a hotel and retail. According to the staff report, those plans have since "morphed into a planned gas station and utility substation," both allowed under current zoning and expected to begin construction soon. The meeting agenda states plainly that "the original intent of the Plan no longer remains viable."12
An expanded footprint would serve goals that have grown since 2020, according to the staff report: multifamily housing, including deed-restricted units; better east-west connections for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit; and support for a planned Front Range Passenger Rail stop in the area. Staff told the board they have had conversations with CSU and its real estate foundation about possible ownership changes on the university's land, which could open the door to a redevelopment partnership.23
The $100,000 comes from tax increment collected within the existing plan area. The fund started 2026 with a balance of about $4,600 but is projected to receive $250,000 to $500,000 this year, mostly from sales tax increment. After a previously approved $25,000 grant match for transit-oriented development planning and the new study money, staff estimate the fund will end the year with $125,000 to $375,000.23
No one spoke at the public hearing. One board member said they had initially been skeptical of the proposal but came around after discussions with staff about the substation, the gas station and the possibility of a train station nearby, saying the area "will really change" and deserves a fresh look.3
An on-call consultant will carry out the study, staff said. The resolution sets no date for the study's completion or for the council hearing that would follow.23