Residents urge public vote and transparency on proposed $1.1 billion Cascadia project

Local residents pressed the Greeley City Council during the public-comment period Tuesday to make the proposed Cascadia resort project the subject of broader public review and a ballot vote, and to disclose records tied to city officials' interactions with the project's developer.

Supporters and opponents have described the proposal as a $1.1 billion project that would include a water park, hotel and hockey arena; speakers attributed these figures and project details to the materials they have seen or to city discussions. Several speakers said debt-forgiveness or a “moral obligation” structure and other financing mechanisms could leave taxpayers on the hook if the project underperforms.

Why it matters: Residents said the project’s scale and the proposed financial structure — which speakers said would rely heavily on borrowed money, potentially secured by city commitments — require direct voter approval or fuller public review because a local…