Roughly one month from now voters in Greeley, Colorado will confront a ballot posing a simple question: should new zoning be approved or rejected allowing for the construction of a massive $830 million, 8,600-seat stadium and entertainment district?
The project, providing a home stadium for the Colorado Eagles hockey team, is being spearheaded by the City of Greeley on just over 800 acres on the west side of the city. As envisioned, it will include an adjacent mixed-use development undertaken by the owner of the team, Martin Lind.
Billed as the largest project in the history of Greeley, what is being called the Catalyst has been scheduled for construction later this year, with an estimated summer 2028 opening.
The project will additionally include a hotel, conference center, and plaza.
In September, Soaring Sports Group LLC, the owner of the Eagles, entered a 40-year contract with Greeley, guaranteeing its tenancy at the stadium. The agreement, said Greeley Mayor John Gates at the time, “ensures that Greeley will be home to professional hockey for decades, driving economic growth, community pride, and entertainment opportunities for generations to come.”
But opponents of the project, which will also include a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park, have expressed concerns about its size as well as the financial commitment Greeley is taking on to get the arena built.
A group called Greeley Demands Better has argued that the city is putting forth a “financial risk with no guarantee of return.”
To that end, a citizen’s petition was presented in December to the Greeley City Council challenging the zoning for the project, with council members subsequently deciding to put the question on a February 24 ballot so that residents of the city could have their say.
Rejecting the zoning, notes the Colorado Sun, “would delay the $830 million project or even kill it.”
January 19, 2026
By Garry Boulard
