Planning commission recommends City of Greeley three-mile plan update that would add GWIP site

The Greeley Planning Commission voted unanimously on a motion to recommend that the City Council approve the 2026 City of Greeley three-mile plan, an annual update that would include the Great Western Industrial Park (GWIP/BRO) property in Greeley’s three-mile planning boundary.

Michael Franke, the presenter, told the commission the three-mile plan describes the infrastructure, land uses, parks, open space and transportation services necessary to enable annexation of property no more than three miles beyond current municipal limits. He said the plan was prepared to meet the requirements of Colorado Revised Statutes §31-12-105 and that the current iteration serves as an annual update that adds the GWIP/BRO parcel and aligns conceptual maps for land use, parks and transportation with previously adopted city plans.

The proposal identifies the GWIP/BRO site as south of Eastman Park Drive, east of State Highway 257, north of the Cache la Poudre River and west of Great Western Drive. Franke said the maps were prepared in coordination with the city’s parks and water/sewer departments and rely on existing adopted studies and policies; he told commissioners the item is scheduled to go to city council in 2026.

During questioning, commissioners asked whether the parcel would require a sewer lift station. Caleb Jackson, interim planning manager, replied that water and sewer staff have not yet determined whether a lift station is required because the maps and plans are still conceptual; multiple feasible sewage options exist and specific infrastructure needs would be resolved during later development review.

A Town of Windsor official submitted written comments and spoke during public comment, saying the proposed inclusion appears to risk “flagpole” or leapfrog annexation and could create a patchwork of municipal regulation and emergency response across Windsor and Greeley. The official asked that the commission enter those comments into the record and urged careful coordination with Windsor given the property has been in Windsor’s growth-management area for more than 20 years.

Jackson told the commission that prior comments on the three-mile plan had been considered during the plan’s earlier council approval and that discussing specific annexation negotiations at this hearing would be inappropriate to avoid ex parte communications while an applicant is not before the commission. He also said that adding the property to Greeley’s three-mile plan would give landowners the option to petition either Windsor or Greeley for annexation; the plan itself does not annex property.

A commissioner who spoke during deliberations said the plan follows statutory criteria and preserves property-owner options, but asked staff to ensure future materials to council fully describe annexation mechanics and any intergovernmental coordination. Another commissioner said they were concerned the commission’s discussion does not always get conveyed to city council and asked staff to include the commission’s record.

The commission made a motion finding the proposed 2026 City of Greeley three-mile plan consistent with Colorado Revised Statutes §31-12-105 and recommending city council approve the resolution as submitted. The motion carried; the transcript records the chair calling for the ayes and the motion carrying, but does not list a roll-call tally in the public record provided.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory: any annexation of private property would still require a separate petition and formal annexation proceedings, and staff repeatedly noted that detailed infrastructure decisions (for example, whether a lift station is needed) would be determined during subsequent development review.

What’s next: the planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to city council for consideration in 2026. Staff was asked to supply additional annexation background and to clearly convey the commission’s concerns in the city council packet.