Fruita City Manager ,Mike Bennett,left and Dan Caris,Planning & Development Director for the city of Fruita by one of the four lagoons owned by the city of Fruita.
Fruita City Manager ,Mike Bennett,left and Dan Caris,Planning & Development Director for the city of Fruita by one of the four lagoons owned by the city of Fruita.
For a developer with the right ideas, Fruita's former sewer lagoons may be an opportunity waiting to happen.
Last year Fruita and community members solidified conceptual plans that envision the future of the city's 25 acres and four decommissioned lagoons located near the commercial center off Kokopelli Boulevard.
Now the city is seeking a partner with bright ideas to make those plans a reality, with the city potentially offering the property for free to developers with the right projects.
Interested developers have until July 6 to present Fruita officials with requests for qualifications to pitch ideas about future development within the city's framework.
"We're really trying to achieve a public and private partnership," said Dan Caris, Fruita's planning and development director. "This is really a chance for us to use our strategic plans and goals to create a product that mirrors our desire to create quality of place and lifestyle."
The city already has received multiple requests from businesses to relocate to the area if pad sites were available, the city said.
Main design plans for the area include adding 91,000 square feet of commercial space, a field house large enough to host an indoor sports field, and four acres of new turf for open public space and parkland. One of the lagoons may be refilled, but the other three will be maintained and refashioned for development.
"You can't beat these views," Caris said from the site Monday, looking toward Colorado National Monument. "It's going to be a special project when it's done here."
Opening up city land to work with private development partners is a unique concept and may stimulate development with the allure of free land, officials said. Fruita also aims to seek grants to help develop the area.
The Fruita City Council is expected to review the proposals for consideration after the cut-off date.
"Everybody gets the same shot," Caris said. "It will be the type of process that shapes the community aesthetically."
View details of Fruita's Request for Qualifications on the Lagoon Redevelopment project at fruita.org.
