Plans are moving forward for the creation of a multi-purpose entertainment district that will go up on the west side of Greeley.
For months, proponents have been trying to establish a new home for the Colorado Eagles hockey team. That plan has gradually come to envision an entertainment district that will surround the new 8,600-seat hockey arena and include youth hockey rinks, an indoor water park, and 350-room hotel.
The Eagles currently play in the Ranch Events Complex but will move out of that facility in 2028 when their lease expires.
What is now seen as a $1.1 billion project has won the support of the Greeley City Council, which has agreed to a public-private partnership to get the district off the ground, funding it through bonding.
The Greeley Westside Project will go up on roughly 300 acres bound on the south by U.S. Route 34 and the north by Colorado State Highway 257.
It is thought that the project, which according to city documents includes a large amount of open space and connection to area walking trails, may ultimately see the building of somewhere around 6,000 residential units, and 3.5 million square feet of commercial and retail space.
In a statement, Greeley Mayor John Gates said the project represents a “once in a generation opportunity to shape Greeley’s future.”
Design work is expected to begin later this year and last through much of 2026. If all goes well, the first phase of the project will be completed in the summer of 2028.
May 6, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Rendering courtesy of City of Greeley
