In 1902, community members of Longmont raised around $70,000 to build the Sugar Mill. It was part of Longmont’s rich agricultural history. However, over the last 46 years, the sugar beet factory has remained vacant and abandoned. Charles Woolley with the St. Charles Town Company and other developers how to revitalize the area.
Woolley shared a presentation with the Longmont City Council on Tuesday night that showed plans to repurpose the existing buildings at the Sugar Mill location and turn them into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood.
The presentation showed a boutique hotel, restaurants, retail and a performing arts center among 1,638 multi-family housing units and 600 townhomes, which would all be for-sale units ranging from mid-tier affordability to luxury, Woolley said.
The plan also called for creating more open space to the south.
The site has been subject to arson and vandalism over the year which has created a mess of the place, Woolley said. Also the development group has to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the asbestos and other hazards on the property.
“We are ready to move forward,” Woolley said.
The first steps for moving forward with the project is to align all of the paperwork to begin the work. Woolley hopes that by Fall 2024 the abatement process can begin. He expects that can take up to a year to complete. He also hopes to begin construction shortly after that with new buildings sprouting up by 2026.
