Developers tango around Wellington's I-25 corridor

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

"Nobody wants to jump off the fence until they see buildings rising from their foundations," said construction manager Steve Groble, speaking about Wellington's recent growth spurt.

Both commercial and public buildings have been rising this past year in Wellington, and both residential and commercial developers hope they guess right on what and how much they build so they can dance together to the same profitable tune. Even though economists predict a buyer's market for housing in 2007, local developers are hopeful that Wellington's recent business growth will soften that trend in the short term and greatly strengthen long-term growth.

Groble has seen rapid growth before in California, growing up with a father who developed mega-mall projects. About four years ago, Groble moved to Wellington and liked its potential. To date, 95 percent of the building projects of his company, Construction Management Works LLC, have been commercial enterprises including the Wellington Medical Center and Family Dental buildings. His own office and warehouse, to be completed next year, will be part of an Industrial Park on G.W. Bush Avenue. (He currently operates out of a building on the northeast corner of Cleveland and Third.) His significant other, Lisa Work, a broker associate with Wellington Realty, often partners with him to match business clients with business space.

Lou Kinzli of Kinzli & Co. Real Estate has been keeping his eye on such commercial developments and proceeded with his Creekside Village residences when the time looked right.

"When the health center and grocery store decided to locate here, that's when I decided to go with this project," Kinzli said. Creekside Village, a development of 16 residences attached in groups of four, sits at the end of Pebble Court west and north of West First Street near Boxelder Creek. Kinzli hopes to attract families and baby boomer couples looking for a place with the feel of an independent home, but "the freedom of a maintenance-free life style." A homeowners' association will maintain the building, grounds, play area, open space and community parking.

Kinzli said that buyers in this demographic like small-town living as long as health and other services are not too far away. Kinzli's betting that the grocery store and health services will help him sell these 16 units (which will be complete in early 2007) and perhaps later allow him to develop something similar on 12 acres at County Roads 62 and 9. He offers three-bedroom ranch-style and two-story models, each with two-car garages, independent utility service and full basements selling between $162,900 and $173,900.

Development manager/partner Chuck Rehmer and Ernie Tellez, broker associate/partner with The Group Inc., are developing a project called Wellville about 1.5 miles south of the Highway 1 exit and east of I-25 that Rehmer hopes will be "a celebration of low-maintenance living." Rehmer said he believes northern Colorado will soon become one community with I-25 as its Main Street.

Wellville boasts of a "million-dollar clubhouse" including two kitchens, conference and party room, barbecue garden, rental suites for visitors, an indoor-outdoor pool, fitness center, putting green and other amenities. Developers have dedicated 10 acres to a park with walking trails. They expect to attract couples from various age groups. The floor plans feature a large master suite plus flexroom, one additional bedroom and one-car garages, with nonattached additional parking available.

Wellville has 36 units completed and 28 available. It will have 180 units when complete, and Rehmer expects it will take two or three years to build out. His units, which have evolved from his experience with WestFork Village in Greeley, sell from $147,900 to $169,900.

Optimism among Realtors for potential buyers may be justified if John Rohn's experience in hiring for the new Main Street Market accurately reflects the potential job pool in Wellington. Rohn said his job fair in October drew nearly 300 applicants for 55 to 60 full-time positions, and he was impressed with what he saw.

"There were many qualified people from Wellington alone," he said. "There were a number of people who commuted to Loveland, Windsor and Greeley, who were happy to find work here."

Rohn has hired his management team and has most of his full-time positions filled. "We expect to have a soft opening the last week of January to open the doors and get people in," he said. "We will probably have a grand opening by the second or third week in February."

Groble said a contract for a dollar store was recently signed for spring 2007 on Sixth Street near the southernmost First National Bank.

Of course, the business tango can be stressful. Developers put lots of money on the line and hope their feet won't get stepped on too often in the process. "The increase in water tap fees caught us by surprise," Kinzli observed. "We are working on a pretty narrow profit margin."

Building never goes as smoothly as one might hope, either. "Our project is moving along," said Wayne Jensen of Wellington Veterinary Clinic, which is building a new office. "Things never seem to go as fast as you might like. Getting the financing arranged and paperwork in order was a little slower than expected. We are hoping to have the business open by next September." Jensen also is still looking for tenants for the 2,500 to 3,000 square feet he will have available in his building.

As 2006 comes to a close, the music seems to be playing strongly, and participants are looking around the floor and beginning to notice some attractive, potential partners to continue the dance in 2007.