FoCo in 15 Minutes | Pie Bracket, Vacant Properties, Open Space, Pickleball & Power Trail

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We are live in Fort Collins and I feel a little depressed for the holiday that is coming up next week, which is Thanksgiving. I mean, my wife had me out putting up Christmas lights two weeks ago. Now we haven't necessarily turned them on because it is a little too early. She was just being safe, watching out for my back and said, hey, you know what? It's 75 degrees out. Let's put up some Christmas lights. But the reality is, holy cow, you go to any store, any location and it's all Christmas, no Thanksgiving. But the reality too is Thanksgiving is absolutely a great time to spend time with the family, eat a ton of food, and this year the Coloradoan is putting on a contest that is a pie voting chart.

Now they've also got best burritos in town, best beer in town, so it's always kind of fun to watch what is getting voted on. But this year we got Retreat Bakery versus The Bread Chick. I've never eaten at The Bread Chick, love Retreat Bakery. Sunny Sky Pies versus The Waltzing Kangaroo. Never been at The Waltzing Kangaroo, but Sunny Sky Pies is a food truck and they do have got some great pies. So I mean, ginger and Baker versus The Pig and Plow have not been to The Pig and Plow, but ginger and Baker, top notch. If you haven't eaten at Ginger and Baker, go check it out. They have got a cafe that you can sit at, wonderful smelling.

They've got like almost, it's not like a, it isn't a flower shop, but it smells phenomenal in there. And I will say Ginger and Baker is one of those restaurants, retail, you know, maker spaces that is, we're so lucky to have in Fort Collins because you know, I'm sure the economics don't make too much sense. The people who are running it are extremely financially successful and this is like a labor of love and passion for them. So go support places like Ginger and Baker, which you know, just are absolutely a wonderful place to be. And then finally we've got Fiona's Deli versus Little Bird Bake Shop.

I have actually been to Fiona's Deli more recently because it's right by my house. My little girl, when she gets a stripe in jujitsu, she asks for a cookie. So we go to Fiona's Deli, it's right there. But Little Bird Bake Shop was actually a tenant of mine down in Old Town Square for many years. We actually took over the space that was Canino's and are doing quite well. But we always, one of the benefits of working for Old Town Square Properties was the owner, my uncle, would pay for Thanksgiving pies and we would get one from Little Bird Bake Shop. So get in there on the Coloradoan, vote on those.

I think I know where mine's going to, but otherwise prepare next week for a wonderful Thanksgiving. 10 day forecast looks okay, getting a little bit cooler, but we're still seeing 60s and 70s in Fort Collins. So that's just great. Vacant shops in Fort Collins are decreasing. Now there's always going to be one that pops up like, oh gosh, what, a 24 hour fitness, when 24 hour fitness goes out of business and that space could potentially vacate if they decide to leave there. When leases are signed for such a long term, like Safeway on College and Horsethooth could be a vacant spot for a significant period here soon with Safeway shuttering so many stores across the United States.

But then in turn you do have opportunities like Natural Grocers, which is taking the Joanne Fabrics Old Store right next to First Watch on South College Avenue and moving from kind of their current location on College Avenue as well. But looking like they're going to bulldoze that, go north. And we talked last week about three vacant storefronts off of Linden, which is going to get a little bit of renovation here in the early 2026. So excited to see all of those things take place, new opportunities, new ventures move in Fort Collins. Now, if you're watching this live, make sure to comment, let me know questions.

This is when I can answer them real time. And if you're watching this on the pod, or if you're listening to this on the podcast, I appreciate you listening. It's the new podcast. This will be releasing a video recording each week, and then we will have podcast in person interviews in early 2026. If you have somebody that you think I should interview, when we were going on with the Fort Collins Fellows, which went on for five or three years, excuse me, we had some amazing guests, former mayors, current mayors, city managers, both current and former CSU football coaches, chief, Fort Collins police chiefs.

Great people who are making huge impacts in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. Speaking of which, what makes Fort Collins, Northern Colorado great, considering Larimer County is one half of Northern Colorado, Weld County is the other half. We have got a 30 year open space conservation in Larimer County. In 1995, there was a bill that passed that essentially protected and conserved Larimer County open spaces, natural spaces, conservation easements with a 25 cent sales tax. We have voted on that to make it extend in perpetuity this last November. Our natural open spaces in Larimer County will continue to grow and be beautiful, hopefully.

We've got over 64,000 acres, 100 plus miles of public trails, and Larimer County has given back $355 million to local communities. Pretty excited. Like Horsethooth Reservoir, Devil's Backbone, Kathy from Prairie, Soapstone. There are so many different areas that are benefiting from that 25 cent sales tax that was voted on back in 1995. We actually had, speaking about podcasts, we had Kelly Olson back on a few months ago and he said, you know what, it wasn't so long ago that the citizens of Fort Collins and Northern Colorado and Larimer County didn't necessarily jive with the idea of this separate sales tax for open spaces, natural areas.

So we're lucky to have people have poured into the community an area that they like people like Kelly Olson, like other members of the community that have really poured back into Fort Collins and Larimer County. We just had the lights switch on just over a week ago, November 7th down in Old Town. We were fortunate to go out to the melting pot last Friday for my birthday. My wife took me out and it was just popping. In fact, I was shocked. I actually had to park on the fourth story of the parking garage down in Old Town and lights were on, people were out and enjoying downtown Fort Collins. So get out and enjoy it.

But there's not just Fort Collins. Wellington light ceremony is going to be December 6th, December 19th. They've got some holiday mingle on main with late night shopping business specials and Santa's final visit. You've got Timnith, the holiday celebration in Timnith, Windsor, Northern Colorado, Loveland going on this week. In fact, I'll jump ahead real fast. Loveland Festival of Lights is November 21st and I believe it's going to be down at the foundry. So there is just so many different things to do in Northern Colorado. Get out and not just enjoy Fort Collins, but enjoy Wellington, Loveland, Timnith, Windsor, you know, all the above.

We've talked about it a few times, but the Pickler is having their grand opening on November 22nd and then the following week we should see 002 Pickleball Club, a 48,000 square foot facility located just near my house. So again, I might have to pick up Pickleball sooner than later, but that's going to be a 17 court, 11 indoor, 6 outdoor court and a cafe, you know, just on the southeast side of Fort Collins. So whether you're checking out the Pickler or 002 Pickleball Club, those are opening up in the next two weeks. So Pickleballers rejoice. Down in Greeley, there is a massive development happening with Cascadia.

It's a billion dollar development that essentially the city of Greeley has approved this, voted on it and it's moving forward. There's different citizen initiated groups that are fighting it, petitions, I think like over 8,000 signatures have been received. But there are stipulations, rules, and I couldn't imagine being Martin Lind and his development group because man, you know, I think they've been working on this for years. I believe the city of Greeley has already signed a lease with the Colorado Eagles to house them for like 30 years at the Neuse Ice Rink. So maybe, I don't know all of the details on that, but potentially at Cascadia and Catalyst, there could be an ice rink without the commercial residential development.

I'm not sure how all of that works, but it does look like it's moving forward and speaking about elections, there was an article that said, most Cascadia backers win in Greeley Council races. So the city council seats in Greeley that were won or turned or flipped or again won were individuals who support the development of Cascadia. So if I were to be a betting man, which I'm not really, every once in a while, we went on a team retreat a couple weeks ago and took a lot of money from my agents on poker. Now it does help that they don't really know how to play. Me and Zach know how to play. We were trying to teach Caleb, we were like, Caleb, you don't have to play every hand.

And he said, scared money don't make money. It was pretty funny. But regardless, if I were to be a betting man, it looks like this Cascadia project, which is going to be a billion dollar development in West Greeley, I-25, US-34 is going to happen. For Collins, the beginning of the construction of the power trail underpass project has begun as of Wednesday, November 12th. I was driving along, I was driving east on Harmony Road and I was like, what, why, what's going on here? Like, why are there, why is there a lane shut down? Well, there are so many different aspects of this, this construction project.

They've got to continue the trail both south of Harmony and north of Harmony to connect those. Not just the underpass, but they do have to do a ton of infrastructure projects and that has all begun and expect an opening of that underpass spring of 2027. Now there is going to be a ceremonial groundbreaking event for city staff and media on December 2nd at 11 a.m. at Golden Meadows Park. So I think that is one of the cooler projects in southeast Fort Collins because I have ridden on the power trail for years and I would always have to go off of Keeneland on McMurray, take McMurray, pass Harmony Road, pass Cruise Elementary and then jump back on the power trail.

And you know, yeah, it's not even the, it's not even a time that it took to do that. It was more the safety factor. It was like being on the roads, period. So this one is going to be an underpass that takes you under Harmony Road, connecting the power trail and in tandem with a year later, the Southeast Community Center will open up. Now there was no city council meeting this week. It was this last week, excuse me, it was Veterans Day. But if you're looking for things to do this week, Loveland's Festival of Lights, November 21st in downtown Loveland. CSU basketball against November at Moby Arena, November 21st at 7 p.m.

CSU is 4-0. The Ali-Froak-Nemesh era is solid, looking good. But if you're looking at getting some volleyball in, CSU volleyball versus Grand Canyon, November 20th at 6 p.m. and then against New Mexico on November 22nd, both at Moby. Grace Gallagher, dance and the Sharon Prize Colorado. There is no Planet B. It's November 21st and 22nd at 7 p.m. at the University Center of the Arts. Please go out, support. This is a friend of mine. She is wonderful and get out there and support local artists. Rams Talk at Beyond Obedience, Understanding Behavior for Better Training and Welfare, November 19th at Visit Fort Collins.

I think it's like every couple of Wednesdays a month, there is a Rams Talk and it's held at the Visit Fort Collins location, 7 Old Town Square. It's wonderful. If you haven't gone and visited Old Town Square, Visit Fort Collins, go do that. Fort Collins Foodie Walk every third Friday of the month, 5 to 8 p.m. downtown Fort Collins. Winter's Farmers Market every Saturday during winter, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Foothills Mall. There is a Holiday Makers Market, November 22nd at Bath Garden Center and Nursery, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is a Rocky Mountain Skis and Board Swap this November 22nd, 2 p.m. on November 22nd and 10 a.m. starting on the 23rd.

I'm going to take my old ass skis in there and get some new ones. I might even get some skis for the kids or potentially just going to rent this year. They grow so fast, so much, but we'll see how that goes. That is something that's super cool and I think it's like $7 per person to get in, but definitely something worth checking out. That is all I've got this week in live in Fort Collins. We are coming live every Tuesday now at noon. It used to be every Monday, but we're going to go every Tuesday at noon. There is a podcast, Apple, Spotify, wherever your podcasts are heard that are going to house all of these, as well as our new Fort Collins Lifestyle YouTube channel, which is going to host our podcast style weekly lives, in-person podcasts, market updates, everything that locals in Fort Collins want to know, want to know what to do.

This is where you get the information. We are also licensed real estate agents in the state of Colorado. So if you're buying, selling, or investing, give my team and I a call, text or email. We would love to help you on that journey. Thank you for listening. Until next time, take care.