"Anti-Business" Climate in Ft. Collins? (Denver, Colorado Springs: jobs, layoffs)

[VanDijk]

I am considering various markets for a fitness center, including Ft. Collins. On a thread concerning another subject, one reply mentioned a strong anti-business climate in the city, including "silly regulations and taxes". Does anyone have any experience with this who doesn't mind providing some details? Thanks.

[tfox]

I lived in Fort Collins for many years. My personal opinion is that much of the "anti-business" complaining is just that, complaining. However, I will repeat what I've heard.

Fort Collins is unique in that it has very strict design standards for new commercial construction, with rigorous design review processes. Auto repair shops cannot have their garage doors facing the street, for example. Any type of wall facing the street must be decorated with masonry or brick to create visual interest. All parking lots must be landscaped with trees shading the entire area. Vast expanses of parking are not supposed to face the street as it creates an empty, desolate look at night and attracts crime. These standards were designed for two reasons: first, to ensure the town looks attractive, but also to provide a disincentive for the "wrong" kind of commercial growth. Some people would say that the latter goal is anti-business.

Another complaint is that, in the past, Fort Collins has tended to be relatively "stingy" with tax handouts to attract big-box stores and other types of commercial development. Some people, myself included, would say it is entirely inappropriate for government to be subsidizing retailers for any reason. However, nearby Loveland has given millions in subsidies to their large commercial development, Centerra. So, out of fear of sales tax leakage, Fort Collins has given in and is doing similar subisidies for some of its own projects, though not on the level of neighboring communities.

[VanDijk]

Thanks for the input, tfox. From what you wrote, the restrictions seem positive rather than negative from our perspective.

Since you lived in Fort Collins for awhile, how would you rate the quality of life? We're also strongly considering Boise...

[tfox]

I thought Fort Collins did a great job with quality of life. I've never been to Boise so I can't do a comparison for you, but I do like the direction Fort Collins has chosen to take.

It's true Fort Collins lacks the great views of Colorado Springs, doesn't have quite the "cool" cache' of Boulder, and lacks the urban energy of Denver.

All that being said, I think it's one of the most livable towns in the state. For example, It has managed to strike what I think it a great balance on the difficult "growth" question, managing to allow slow growth so as to keep property values from skyrocketing like Boulder, but the urban design standards and the planning processes ensure that the new growth is well-integrated, looks good, and doesn't hurt quality of life. The city has really been a leader in acquiring open space for recreational use and to definite community boundaries. Most of Fort Collins' foothills areas are largely undeveloped and open to the public; this took a lot of foresight. There's also a number of large, clean industry in town in the areas of high-tech and biotech. Downtown ("Old Town") is small but clean and vibrant, providing a real focal point to the town. CSU provides a lot of activities and cultural programs and has a lot of support from the community. K-12 Schools are generally excellent to students and teachers alike. One teacher friend of mine told me that the local district is a teacher's favorite -- that many teachers labor years in neighboring districts to prove their worth to the Fort Collins district. As for crime, the presence of the college does attract some crime (mostly of the "drunken freshman" variety), but this is an extremely safe city for its size with very few trouble spots and certainly no "ghettos".

That being said, there are a few disadvantages of the town. The main one is that Fort Collins is a victim of its own success. There's a large population of highly qualified but underemployed and underpaid employees in the tech sector that absolutely refuse to leave Fort Collins, convinced that they've found the perfect town. Many do end up commuting to Boulder County for work, albeit grudgingly, but most would take a huge pay cut to take a new job "home" in Fort Collins. Companies know this, and the local tech giants will consistently underpay. If the economy is bad and the large employers are not hiring, being out of a job could mean that you're simply out of work altogether. If you can't tell already, this is why I left Fort Collins. However, the fact that you have this problem tells you that this is the type of town that generates this kind of loyalty.

[vegaspilgrim]

I wish I would have gone to CSU-- Fort Collins seems like a great town. I explored it with my dad earlier this summer and I was impressed! People there seemed a lot friendlier than Denver, and the town is so clean and green. The students like it so much they go out their way to stay? Do any of these people start their own businesses and create jobs?

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

The students like it so much they go out their way to stay? Do any of these people start their own businesses and create jobs?

A friend of mine did just that, and has been very successful indeed--but this was many, many years ago. He has a beautiful home and three kids, one of whom is a freshman at CSU this fall. It is a fine, fine place to raise children.

My older son graduated from CSU but he and most of his friends seem to be all over the place now, I don't think anyone stayed.

I absolutely adored Ft Collins when I lived there, and I think the kid liked it too, but tfox's insightful post tells it like it is. I know my kid had to commute to Windsor for his part-time job, and felt lucky that he only had to go so far.

[Katiana]

Many college towns have hangers-on like that. Champaign, IL is full of them, too.

There have been many posts on this forum about underemployed people in Ft. Collins, how nurses "have to" work PRN for a while to get a FT job, etc. For those of you not in the know, PRN means per diem, w/o benefits, usually. People put up with it. They say "Oh, I could NEVER live in Denver, Boulder, fill in the blank. It's worth it to live here". As long as there is a signifcant sub-group that feels that way, it will never change.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I wish I would have gone to CSU-- Fort Collins seems like a great town. I explored it with my dad earlier this summer and I was impressed! People there seemed a lot friendlier than Denver, and the town is so clean and green. The students like it so much they go out their way to stay? Do any of these people start their own businesses and create jobs?

vegaspilgrim,
There is some of that entrepreneurism in evidence. 20 years ago, HP pretty much was the only big private-sector employer in town. That certainly isn't the case now, there's a fairly long list, most of which found their way into town by HP spinoffs, partnerships, or founded by laid-off HP employees.

It's been said that Boulder's entrepreneurial culture was born out of IBM layoffs back in the late 1960s, where laid off engineers stayed around in Boulder to start their own companies, some of which, like StorageTek, became tech giants in their own right. Now, Boulder County has more jobs than workforce, and Boulder itself is one of the top three employment centers in the state. Fort Collins may embark on a similar path. But, it's not there yet.