Loveland retail race bucks national trend

April 28, 2017 Posted In

LOVELAND — As more national retailers retrench, file for bankruptcy, or close in the face of soaring internet competition, Northern Colorado developers plan to build more than a million square feet of new retail space on both sides of Interstate 25 in Loveland.

The proposals represent a big footprint in an area already saturated with big-box retailers, chain restaurants and niche shops. But McWhinney, Inc., and Water Valley’s Martin Lind are doubling down that Northern Colorado’s sustained growth will fuel their development march toward I-25.

“With all due respect to Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland and Windsor, none of those cities independently can support what we’re talking about,” said Lind, who has proposed more than 2 million square feet of new development on both sides of I-25 near Crossroads Boulevard.

But with each city growing toward the interstate, Lind said,  “we have a location that can support pretty exciting things.”

Lind’s “The Brands” project includes more than 1 million square feet of new retail space, two hotels, office space, 580 apartments and an IMAX theater. 

Meanwhile, Loveland-based McWhinney — which dominated development at I-25 and U.S. Highway 34 for decades — has its own plans for vacant land on both sides of the interstate, including at least two hotels and new retail and residential space near the Promenade Shops at Centerra.

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