What to do with the site of the former Hughes Stadium in west Fort Collins may be largely determined by the views of a panel of local residents.
Opened in the fall of 1967, the 32,500-seat stadium was for decades the home of the Colorado State University Rams football team. Roughly a year after the Rams moved to the on-campus Canvas Stadium in 2017, the Hughes facility was demolished.
For the last seven years city officials in Fort Collins have been trying to determine what to do with the 165-acre site, with proposals earlier aired for turning it into a new subdivision with upwards of 700 single-family homes, apartments, and townhomes.
But such proposals have been met with criticism from area residents wanting to see less building and more open space at the site, which was purchased by the City of Fort Collins in 2021. At one point a petition calling for a “sustainable, community-friendly” development had generated more than 4,300 signatures.
Late last summer members of the Fort Collins City Council voted to establish what is being called a Civic Assembly with the single purpose of helping to create a master plan for the site.
By city law, any future plans for the property must incorporate wildlife restoration and park features. But at the same time, the site could see the construction of a multi-use center that could be used for public gatherings and educational events.
Other uses could see the building of walking trails as well as either a dog park or dog waste stations.
The recommendations of the Civic Assembly, members of which were selected by lottery, are expected to be presented to the city council on May 27.
May 9, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Colorado State University
