Every year in early May the nation celebrates the field of Economic Development. The goal of Economic Development Week is to increase awareness for local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and increase the quality of life in communities everywhere.
There are so many activities happening in Loveland and the region that help this community grow strategically and at a pace that the citizens can appreciate. The City, Chamber, Visit Loveland, Loveland Business Development Center, Warehouse Business Accelerator, Downtown Development Authority and so many more work tirelessly on building a first class community.
As you drive around the community you will see the following infrastructure transformations; Interstate 25 expansion, highway 34 improvements, highway 402 corridor strategy, NOCO Airport and its influence area study, and the FAA’s first remote tower at the Northern CO airport is being tested which will lead to a future commercial flight.
In business growth, you can see Occupational Center of the Rockies’ beautiful new expansion, Tharp Cabinets taking on the rehabilitation of the former Quebecor site, Centerra’s spec industrial buildings which are getting filled faster than they can be built, the Ranch’s master plan and extended sales tax will bring a future sports complex, upgraded facilities, new roadways and a public private hotel partnership. These highlights along with a pipeline of over 20 smaller firms that are in the expansion phase right now are all being worked on inside city hall by the economic development staff.
In the downtown, few can miss the long awaited openings of the Public Plaza at the end of May, the 4-story mural on the parking garage, the 102 room TownPlace Suites Marriott and the 525 seat first run Dine-In Movie Theater will open in July. The city and the DDA just approved financing for an office/retail development on 4th street and Garfield.
In the area of workforce development, the passing of the Thompson School District Bond will elevate our K-12 system with much needed maintenance and infrastructure. In fall of 2020, Van Buren Elementary will be repurposed with the areas first Career and Technical Education Center. Stakeholders in the community are meeting to discuss which technical career pathways would best suit high schoolers. This will build a pipeline of local workers in local apprenticeships and jobs for our students.
34 communities alongside Weld and Larimer counties’ economic development professionals are meeting regularly to break down the barriers between our regions to work collaboratively on the marketing of the area for business. We recognize that this region is one labor shed and share similar data and economic trends and that we are stronger together.
Finally, in light of the current temperature of local news and social media, which often tell only one side of the story or false perceptions of projects, we encourage anyone who wants more information on economic development projects to contact us directly. We are always excited to discuss the great happenings across our city.
Thank you,
Kelly Jones
Economic Development Director, City of Loveland
