Loveland, Colorado, ‘Back to One’ With New Supermarket
Loveland's Centerra South project has been a topic of conversation for a while; especially when it comes to a Whole Foods supermarket being a part of it.
That conversation has come to an end. Will it get back on track?
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when it comes to this particular meeting in Loveland; it sounds like a lot of strategy went into getting Centerra South shut down.
When news of the Centerra South project came out, many were excited that there would be a new supermarket there, on the east side of town. Even though it was a "not-loved" Whole Foods, at least it was something.
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Sure, Natural Grocers opened up a new location in Downtown Loveland, that store really serves a "niche" community, and again, is not on the east side of Loveland. That side of town has needed a large market for years.
WHAT HAPPEND TO THE CENTERRA SOUTH PROJECT IN LOVELAND, COLORADO?
According to The Coloradoan, Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh "took the bull by the horns" and got the resolution that had OK'd McWhinney's Centerra South project rescinded.
She got three new City Council members to join her in her fight against it, along with two others, who had already been on her side.
WHEN 10 MINUTES ARE ALLOTED, FIND A WAY TO USE NINE
According to The Coloradoan, the mayor's presentation about rescinding the resolution took nine of the 10 minutes that the council allots for "new business." That didn't leave much time for a discussion about it.
It sounds like there was some strategy involved, in my opinion.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST 'BEEF' AGAINST THE CENTERRA SOUTH PROJECT
The Loveland Mayor has long felt that including "blighted" farmland for this particular Urban Renewal Project is wrong, and that the citizens of Loveland don't want Centerra South to happen, either.
From the The Coloradoan, Mayor Jacki Marsh:
Centerra South is not what the people want.
WHEN IT INCLUDES THE NAME 'MCWHINNEY,' ARMS DO NOT OPEN WIDE
If you've lived in Loveland for a longtime, like I have, you know there is animosity when it comes to just about anything, "McWhinney."
Many will argue that the McWhinney family has been in Loveland for generations, and they haven't done anything that any other family wouldn't do; Others will argue that they are changing Loveland for the worse, and getting far too many tax breaks.
WHERE DOES CENTERRA SOUTH AND WHOLE FOODS STAND, NOW?
According to The Coloradoan, Mayor Marsh is ready to take this to court, and have them weigh in on it.
There are a lot of in-and-outs, so to speak, about Centerra South and what it could mean to Loveland and McWhinney; but, if anything, it does push the project much further down the road.
That leaves the citizens on the east side of Loveland still "wishing" for a supermarket, for who knows how long.
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