Weld County Commissioners have been in discussion with Greeley residents as they decide the future location for the Weld County Justice Center. It is currently located in downtown Greeley, but it may end up moving two miles north to O Street, next to the other county buildings.
The City of Greeley is more interested in locations that are downtown due to the economic benefits of having 500 county employees working downtown. These employees contribute an estimated $2.5 million per year in economic activity for downtown businesses.
The current justice center only has room for one more judge, but the county population is expected to grow by 53 percent by 2044. Next year, the county anticipates the need to hire two more judges, which could not be accommodated within the current justice center.
Architecture-firm Gensler said the building costs of keeping the justice center downtown would be $463 million, compared to $300 million if they build next to the other county buildings on O Street. Richmark Development, a Greeley developer, said the justice center could be kept downtown for a cost between $209.5 million and $234.9 million. Richmark said that Gensler’s estimate included higher costs to comply with the maximum building heights in commercially zoned areas. There is a general improvement overlay in downtown Greeley that would allow them to disregard the maximum heights. The county could build a taller building rather than a wider building that requires more land.
The justice center could be included in a downtown campus with Greeley-Evans School District 6 and the city of Greeley, which are also expected to construct new buildings this year. “I’ve heard people say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but to have three governmental agencies in the same area facing the same problem is a once-in-a-multiple-lifetime opportunity,” said Adam Fraiser, Richmark’s President of Real Estate Development and Operations.
There is $12 million in funding for a parking garage for this downtown campus. $10 million would come from the city, including over $400,000 in donations from downtown businesses. $1 million is available from an anonymous donor and another $1 million from the Downtown Development Authority.
The second informational meeting regarding the new center was March 18 at 6 p.m. at the Southwest Service Center, in Longmont. The last scheduled informational meeting is next Monday, March 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Weld County Administration Building.
County Commissioner Kevin Ross said a decision has not been made yet regarding the location of the new justice center, as more information is still being gathered and resident feedback is still being collected. A final decision is expected to be made by June.
