FoCo in 15 Minutes | PSD Layoffs, I-25 Tolls Start, QuikTrip Debate & Flock Cameras

Welcome to Fort Collins Lifestyles, your weekly insider look at life, real estate, and community across Northern Colorado.

This week in Fort Collins & Northern Colorado:

🏫 PSD Authorizes Potential Teacher Layoffs — The Poudre School District board voted 7–0 to authorize possible layoffs amid a projected $17M budget shortfall for 2026–27, driven by enrollment declines and potential state funding cuts. Leaders say layoffs are not guaranteed, with retirements and resignations potentially offsetting reductions.

🗳️ Greeley’s $1.1B Catalyst Project in Limbo — Voters narrowly backed repealing zoning for the Cascadia/Catalyst entertainment district, throwing the arena-centered public-private project into uncertainty and likely delaying development at least a year.

🏘️ Fort Collins Expands Mobile Home Park Oversight — A new licensing program beginning in 2027 will require inspections, certified managers, and infrastructure disclosures, while prohibiting owners from passing compliance costs onto residents.

🍜 Three Dragon Thai Opens on South College — A new family-run Thai restaurant replaces Taco Stop at 6324 S. College Ave., serving Thai staples, sushi, and ramen in a bamboo-inspired setting.

⛽ QuikTrip Proposal Sparks Midtown Debate — Plans for a 6,500-sq-ft gas station at Drake & College face pushback from residents who prefer mixed-use redevelopment, though the project qualifies under older zoning rules.

🚗 I-25 Express Lane Tolling Begins April 7 — After a free period since 2023, drivers will soon pay between $1 and ~$4.75 depending on time and segment, with dynamic pricing launching later this summer.

📷 Flock Safety Cameras — Council reviewed installing 15 city-owned license plate reader cameras with 30-day data retention and third-party oversight. While staff highlighted public safety tools, several members voiced concerns about surveillance scope, data security, and past PR controversies.

🔊 “Sounds of the City” Noise Ordinance Update — Officials are refining quiet zones and decibel standards, aiming to protect neighborhood quality of life while preserving downtown vibrancy and business activity.

🚧 College Avenue Infrastructure Project — Early plans call for major water main replacement and streetscape upgrades from Laporte to Olive, with construction potentially beginning January 2027 as part of long-term corridor investment.

• Great Plates of Downtown — Mar 1–14
• 19th Annual Seed Swap — March 7
• First Friday Art Walk — March 6
• Mexican Street Food Cooking Class — March 7
• Foothills Winter Farmers Market — Saturdays
• CSU Spring Concert — March 8
• 2026 Home & Garden Show — March 6–8

📲 Thinking about buying, selling, or investing in Northern Colorado?
Let’s connect — I help clients make confident, well-informed real estate decisions with both data and boots-on-the-ground insight.

Patrick Soukup
📞 Call/Text: 970-893-3533
📧 Email: patrick@soukuprealestate.com
🌐 Website: soukuprealestate.com