Library board, Windsor cease talks over land town wanted for east side grocer
After months of back-and-forth negotiation, all talks have ceased between Windsor and Clearview Library District to purchase 6 acres of library land for a new King Soopers grocery store.
Windsor Mayor Paul Rennemeyer and Clearview Library Board president Jeromey Balderrama both confirmed Windsor will not go forward with a land purchase.
"I'm not saying a deal with King Soopers is dead in the water, but the town will not be purchasing the land," Rennemeyer said. "They wanted a large amount of money for their property ... a price north of the last price that was made public." The last public offer was $3.01 million and 10% of the sales tax the store and other retailers on the site would generate for 10 years.
"The town board, in executive session, couldn't rationalize what that would end up meaning over the course of 10 years and upfront cash. When things looked like they could get really expensive for the town, King Soopers went back to the drawing board."
King Soopers officials said they haven't given up on Windsor.
"King Soopers remains interested in identifying a future location in the town of Windsor," said spokesperson Jessica Trowbridge. "We have a great relationship with the town and appreciate their efforts in helping us serve the community."
Both sides named negotiators to finesse a deal that would allow the town to buy the parcel, sell it to King Soopers and combine it with adjacent land to create a site large enough for a 125,000-square-foot store in the Greenspire neighborhood on Windsor's east.
Beyond the first couple of meetings, all negotiations have been behind closed doors and not made public.
Balderrama said they had had no discussions or updates from Windsor since Dec. 7 and voted Feb. 29 to rescind any verbal or written offers.
In September, Windsor offered to buy the land for $1.75 million after Clearview trustees rejected King Soopers' earlier $1.5 million purchase price.
The library district, which bought the site in 2016, had earmarked the property for a future regional library or cultural center serving Windsor, Severance and West Greeley, even though district voters have twice rejected funding requests for such a facility. The property is not currently earmarked for a regional library or culture center. Trustees said the district couldn't sell to a private entity like Kroger because the land is included in its facilities plan as a potential regional library site. The plan doesn't preclude selling to another public entity like the town.
That's when Windsor stepped in to act as middleman to regain lost sales tax revenue from east side residents who leave town for their groceries.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Clearview, Windsor cease talks over land town wanted for King Soopers
