GREELEY, Colo. — A major makeover is underway in downtown Greeley, with city leaders hoping the project will bring more people downtown to use public services and support local businesses.
But with the city facing a budget shortfall, questions remain about how the city will pay for its portion of the project.
Denver7's northern Colorado and Eastern Plains reporter Peter Choi has more on the impact in the video below:
For Rebecca Victor, owner of Mom’s Popcorn, downtown Greeley is both her workplace and her passion.
“Our number one seller is dill pickle, and it has been my number one seller since I've started,” Victor said.
Inside the store, customers can choose from a variety of popcorn flavors. In the back, several machines are constantly working.
“We got six here. We got a caramel machine over there,” Victor said.
Victor said she enjoys spending her days at the shop.
“I like being here. I enjoy. I'm a workaholic,” she said.
Now, she’s looking ahead to changes coming to downtown.
“It's going to be a big change, but it's going to be an important change,” Victor said.
The city is in the middle of a larger downtown revitalization effort that includes significant construction.
“We have a downtown total revitalization project underway that encompasses a lot of construction work that's happening,” Greeley Deputy City Manager Kelli Johnson said.
A major part of that effort is the planned Downtown Civic Campus.
The project is a partnership between the City of Greeley, Weld County, Greeley-Evans School District 6 and private developers.
“You're talking about hundreds of county employees staying downtown, hundreds of school district employees, and hundreds of city employees all continuing to be maintained and centralized in downtown,” Johnson said.
For Victor, keeping the business downtown is important.
“We definitely wanted to keep it here,” she said.
The downtown project comes as Greeley faces a budget shortfall, raising questions about whether the city can afford the investment.
Johnson said the city’s portion of the Civic Campus would not rely on the General Fund, which pays for day-to-day city services.
Instead, the city plans to use existing Food Tax revenue to make payments on the project.
The city says the plan would not require a new tax, either.
Johnson also said the current General Fund budget shortfall is not expected to delay construction. However, the city will continue to monitor construction costs, financing costs, and potential schedule risks.
For downtown businesses, construction can be difficult in the short-term.
“Right now, it is a little bit of a headache with construction. But once it's all said and done, I do believe it's going to be overall a good thing for downtown Greeley,” said Chase Mehan, owner of The Downtown Oddity Parlor.
Victor said she remains optimistic about the changes.
“I think in the end, we'll come out on the right side of it,” Victor said.
