WELD COUNTY, Colo. — The Weld County Board of County Commissioners on July 28 voted to site a new Weld County Judicial Center on the West Block in downtown Greeley and to direct staff to finalize agreements to build a new Weld County Administration Building on the adjacent Centennial Block.

The decision followed a report and site-selection study presented by county staff and consultants that compared three potential locations — two downtown blocks (the West Block and the Southeast Block) and a site on 0 Street — and estimated total project costs and phasing needs.

Consultant Jeff Darnell, president and CEO of Level 5 (the local consulting firm engaged to coordinate the extended study), told the commissioners, “This isn't just about buildings. It's about upholding the promise of justice and public service for generations of health.” He described a multi-year process that used Gensler's 20-year facilities master plan, interviews with more than 20 stakeholder groups, utility and zoning reviews, and cost and schedule modeling.

Facilities Department head Patrick O'Neil summarized the master-plan work that underpins the recommendation, saying the county has "105 facilities" and that consultants projected county needs out 20 years. The consultants and construction partners reviewed up to 10 configurations per site and modeled infrastructure and schedule trade-offs.

The study's cost estimates, as presented to the board, put a combined judicial center and administration/VA configuration at about $490,000,000 for the West Block, roughly $496,000,000 for the Southeast Block, and a higher-cost scenario for the 0 Street option (presented in the study as roughly in line with — and slightly above — the downtown options). The presentation said the West Block offered the most efficient path because of existing infrastructure, connectivity to county assets and lower disruption to ongoing county operations.

Commissioners spent time thanking staff and consultants and reviewing the study's findings. Commissioner Ross said he supported a downtown location, adding, "So I'm gonna be glad, I'm in favor of the downtown option." Commissioner James voiced a concern about scale and cost while still supporting downtown, saying, "They're gonna put a $490,000,000 saddle on an invaluable horse." Commissioner Maxey and Commissioner Peddler (both speaking from their roles on the board) also said they supported the West Block option and emphasized careful phasing and fiscal responsibility.

A public commenter, Hunter Hoshiko, urged the board to reconsider the 0 Street option and questioned the economic impact calculations for downtown, saying, "Courthouse generates 2,800,000.0 in economic, benefit," and warning that multi-year downtown construction could hurt local businesses. Hoshiko also said private developers were willing to partner on 0 Street to offset infrastructure costs.

After deliberation the board approved a resolution selecting the West Block for the new judicial center and directing staff to finalize all necessary agreements and documents to enable construction at that location, and to finalize agreements to construct a new county administration building on the Centennial Block. The resolution text recited prior steps in the process, including the Gensler master facilities plan (contracted in May 2023, reported Oct. 2024), subsequent cost and site studies (including work by PCL Construction and an amendment to the PCL contract), stakeholder listening sessions and town halls, and delivery of updated cost estimates to the board in June 2025.

The board's action moves the project from the study and due-diligence phase into agreement finalization (the consultants described this as moving from step 5 into step 6 of a multi-step plan), with funding strategy and execution to follow in a later phase led by the county CFO. The resolution was approved by motion and second and recorded as adopted on July 28, 2025.

Implementation questions remain: the consultants and several commissioners noted differences in infrastructure needs between downtown sites and the 0 Street site, and said phasing, real estate negotiations (including potential land swaps with the City of Greeley), and funding strategy will be required before final design and construction. The county also said public outreach would continue through later project stages.

The board's action preserves the county's historic Weld County Courthouse, which commissioners repeatedly referenced during remarks, and directs staff to proceed with the next steps needed to advance downtown planning and agreements.

Less critical details: the consultants named involved firms including Gensler (master facilities plan), Riley Johnson Architecture (RJA) and PCL Construction; the board held multiple community listening sessions and four town halls during the study process. Funding sources and final delivery method were not specified; the county's CFO was assigned future responsibility for funding strategy and execution.