FoCo in 15 Minutes | Front Range Rail, Downtown Loveland Reopens, Woodward Hits $1.1B & City Land Review

Welcome to Living in Fort Collins — The Podcast, your weekly insider look at what’s happening across Fort Collins and Northern Colorado — from growth and development to housing, business, infrastructure, and local events shaping the region.

This week in Fort Collins & Northern Colorado:

🚆 Front Range Passenger Rail Moves Closer to Reality — The Colorado Connector ("CoCo") continues advancing toward a 2029 launch, with plans for three daily round trips between Fort Collins and Denver Union Station. While funding discussions continue, the project remains one of the biggest long-term transportation investments in Northern Colorado.

🏙️ Downtown Loveland Reopens Another Major Block — Fourth Street's Block 3 has officially reopened after extensive infrastructure upgrades, bringing back parking, expanded sidewalks, patios, and the historic heart of downtown as the revitalization project nears completion.

🏡 Larimer County Remains Eligible for Proposition 123 Housing Funds — Larimer County successfully met Colorado's Proposition 123 requirements, ensuring continued access to state funding that supports affordable housing construction and preservation throughout the region.

✈️ Woodward Posts Record $1.1 Billion Quarter — Fort Collins-based Woodward reported record quarterly revenue of $1.1 billion, highlighting continued strength in aerospace and industrial manufacturing while reinforcing one of Northern Colorado's largest employment engines.

🏢 258 City-Owned Properties Under Review — Fort Collins is launching a comprehensive review of every city-owned property, evaluating opportunities for redevelopment, repurposing, or future investment using a new strategic framework.

🏙️ Could City Hall Become a Mixed-Use District? — Council discussed reimagining the Civic Center and surrounding properties as a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood with housing, retail, and public spaces that would better connect Old Town with the west side of downtown.

🚭 Local Tobacco & Vape Licensing Proposed — Staff presented plans for a new city licensing program covering tobacco, vape products, and other age-restricted products, with implementation potentially beginning in early 2027.

📡 New Surveillance Policy Moves Forward — Following months of discussion surrounding Flock cameras, the city is developing a broader surveillance technology policy focused on accountability, transparency, and future technologies, with adoption targeted for December.

🏗️ Council Explores Long-Term Land Lease Strategy — Rather than selling city-owned land outright, councilmembers discussed using long-term ground leases and value-sharing agreements to retain public ownership while encouraging redevelopment.

🎨 Sculpture in the Park — August 7–9 | Loveland
🌊 Poudre RiverFest — August 9 | New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins
🎭 Little Shop of Horrors — August 7–8 | Lincoln Center
🎶 Friday Fest – Season Finale — August 7 | Downtown Greeley
🍷 Estes Park Wine Festival — August 8–9 | Estes Park

📲 Thinking about buying, selling, or relocating to Northern Colorado?
My team and I help clients make confident, well-informed real estate decisions with both data and boots-on-the-ground insight across Fort Collins and Northern Colorado.

Patrick Soukup📞 970-893-3533📧 patrick@soukuprealestate.com🌐 soukuprealestate.com