GREELEY – The landscape-altering Cascadia development project has been put on ice, according to unofficial results of a city referendum on the project Tuesday. 

The proposed development would have included an 8,600-seat multiuse arena and ice center that would be home to the Colorado Eagles, a minor-league affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche; a full-service conference hotel; an indoor waterpark, and housing developments spanning over 800 acres in West Greeley. 

Greeley officials and Water Valley CEO Martin Lind, the project’s developer, had said the master-planned community designed to integrate housing, recreation and jobs would take Greeley to the next level. But many Greeley residents had other ideas about the viability of the project. 

The majority voted yes on Ballot Question 1A, a yes or no proposition, with yes meaning that the city ordinance approving the Cascadia project would be repealed. The final unofficial vote count was 11,342 to 9,506 to repeal.  City officials said official results of the special election are expected to be posted March 5. 

Cascadia opponents were elated. 

“The election was a historic victory for the people who wanted to have a voice – the people who fought against the city council, who tried to silence us,” said Brandon Wark, co-chair of Greeley Demands Better, the citizens group that organized to oppose the development. “Ultimately, the people prevailed – the people who are concerned about the financial stability of our city and the financial future of our city.” 

Wark compared Tuesday night’s election victory to a true David vs. Goliath matchup.  

“We were definitely nervous about the election because we were outspent by so much,” Wark said. 

The Cascadia development was originally approved by a 5-2 city council vote. Greeley Demands Better acquired the required 4,586 signatures needed to trigger a special election in opposition to the $1.1 billion project, largely citing financial concerns.  

The city had said it would finance the public-private project through bonding, general improvement district financing, and operating revenues generated after Cascadia opened.  

The ballot question primarily focused on the zoning of the project, which would be located North of US Highway 34 and East of Weld County Road 17. With the repeal of the ordinance approving Cascadia, the land will now revert to an agricultural zoning, Kim Kappel, Greeley public information officer said in a press release issued Wednesday. 

“Based on the analytics that we’ve seen, this project was extremely high risk,” said Greeley Demands Better’s Wark. “The Cascadia project would have put the Greeley taxpayers at risk for hundreds of millions of dollars over decades … I believe the voters agree with us that this was an incredibly risky project that doesn’t represent the best financial interests of the city.”    

Water Valley is the primary developer for the project, and Lind and his companies sued the City of Greeley to void the special election on Monday.  

Bill Rigler, who serves as the spokesperson for Greeley Forward –  an issue committee and advocacy group that strongly supported Cascadia development – said Greeley would be put at financial risk by the vote to stop the project 

“They are about to experience the full unintended consequences of (Tuesday) night’s vote,” Rigler said. He said the city would become responsible for more than $100 million in debt that would have otherwise been paid by the developer. “Because of this repeal of the zoning, that debt is now transferred away from the developer and now falls on the city of Greeley,” Rigler maintained. 

He added that an even greater impact of Tuesday night’s vote could be the loss in potential revenue from the project. 

“Since the vote has occurred,” said Greeley Mayor Dale Hall, who supported the Cascadia project, “staff will conduct a full legal and planning review. They would return to Council with recommendations outlining viable next steps. Council needs to evaluate those options publicly before making any decisions.” 

Greeley officials emphasized that West Greeley remains an important long-term growth area for the city, and that council will continue to evaluate future development through established planning, zoning and public review processes.   ley to void the special election on Monday.