FoCo in 15 Minutes | Romance Bookstore, Old Town Skyline Changes & Costco Expansion

Описание: Welcome to Fort Collins Lifestyles, your weekly insider look at life, real estate, and community across Northern Colorado.

This week in Fort Collins & Northern Colorado:

📚 Fort Collins’ First Romance Bookstore Opens — Cherry on Top Bookshop debuts in Old Town at 119 E. Mountain Ave., featuring romance novels across multiple subgenres, a kids section, gifts, a photo booth, and event space.

🏗️ Four Projects Reshaping Old Town’s Skyline — Major developments include expansion of The Armory at the former Lyric site, “The Linden” River District apartments (160 units, 20% affordable), renovation of three vacant Linden storefronts, and redevelopment of the long-empty William S. Hill Building on Mountain Avenue.

🍕 Postcard Pizza Makes USA TODAY’s Top 39 Restaurants — The Detroit-style pizzeria inside Equinox Brewing earns national recognition for its globally inspired, crispy-edged pies like the popular Fancy Pepperoni.

🏢 Larimer County Extends Data Center Moratorium — Commissioners approve a six-month pause on new data center proposals in unincorporated areas to study energy use, water impacts, noise concerns, and regulatory frameworks.

🥕 Food Co-op Reopens in Former Beavers Market — The Fort Collins Food Co-op reopens Feb. 14 at 1100 W. Mountain Ave., doubling its footprint with expanded meat, produce, bulk goods, and eventual beer/wine offerings.

🎱 CooperSmith’s Billiards Returning — The former Poolside space is being revived with tournament pool tables, darts, shuffleboard, 20 beers on tap, and classic bar food, targeting a March reopening.

🏫 PSD Considers Possible Teacher Layoffs — Due to enrollment declines and potential funding cuts, PSD may initiate a formal reduction-in-force process to address a projected budget shortfall of up to $17 million.

🏟️ $110M Investment at The Ranch — Larimer County moves forward with a 21-acre turf Event Lawn, future amphitheater, youth sports upgrades, and potential hotel/expo center expansions funded by a voter-approved sales tax extension.

🐾 CSU’s $230M Veterinary Hospital Nearing Completion — The new 213,000-sq-ft Veterinary Hospital and Education Complex will expand animal care capacity and increase veterinary student enrollment.

🛒 Loveland Eyes Business-Assistance Pact for New Costco — A proposed agreement could bring a Costco-anchored development to Centerra, generating significant infrastructure investment and long-term city revenue.

🏛️ City Council Work Session Highlights

After being sworn in January 13, 2026, City Council narrowed its agenda to five priorities:
1️⃣ Financial Sustainability
2️⃣ Stronger Communication
3️⃣ Make It Easier to Build
4️⃣ Economic Vitality
5️⃣ Vision Zero

Additional focus areas include AI integration, marijuana law updates, and strengthening the creative/nighttime economy — with housing affordability woven throughout nearly every priority.

🎉 Things To Do This Weekend

• Fiesta Familiar de Lotería — Feb 21 | Old Town Library
• Farm to Fork Fundraiser — Feb 20 | PSD
• Fat Friday — Feb 20 | The Lyric
• Pandamonium! 2026 — Feb 21–22 | Horse & Dragon Brewing
• Fort Collins Foodie Walk — Feb 20 | Downtown

📲 Thinking about buying, selling, or investing in Northern Colorado?
Let’s connect — I help clients make confident, well-informed real estate decisions with both data and boots-on-the-ground insight.

Patrick Soukup
📞 Call/Text: 970-893-3533
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Website: soukuprealestate.com