What Broomfield's 25th Birthday Calendar Says About the Downtown It Hasn't Built

"If we could all have a dollar for every time someone says 'Safeway,' whether it's online or in person, we'd probably be able to finance part of the project." City and County Manager Jennifer Hoffman said that at a special council meeting in July. The building she meant is the former Safeway on 120th Avenue. The city bought it in 2015 for $3.6 million, and it has stood empty ever since, as the Broomfield Enterprise has reported.

This November, Broomfield turns 25 as a combined city and county. The planned downtown on that site is not part of the celebration. The anniversary events are being held in places the community already has, including the library, a veterans museum, a grange hall, the community center and the City and County Building. Those buildings already do much of the work a town square would do.

A Deadline That Arrived Two Months Before the Birthday

Broomfield Town Square was planned as a walkable gathering place that could serve as the city's downtown. The site covers about 39 acres north of 120th Avenue and east of Main Street. The city's plans call for apartments, townhomes, retail, dining, work space and a human-made lake, with the old Safeway redeveloped as part of it. Under the 2019 agreement, the city committed $20 million in publicly owned land and up to $54 million in tax increment financing. The whole project was then estimated at about $200 million.

The groundbreaking date has moved several times:

1. In 2021, the first phase including the Safeway redevelopment was projected to begin by early 2023.
2. A 2023 update moved the first phase's construction and opening to 2025.
3. In early 2025, the developer team expected to break ground by fall 2026.
4. This year, the estimate moved to 2027.

The clock that matters most this fall comes from Broomfield's municipal code. A project owner has to apply for and receive building permits within three years of site development plan approval. If that doesn't happen, City Council may revoke the plan. The plan was approved Sept. 12, 2023, so the deadline fell on Sept. 12, 2026.

Earlier in 2026, the developer team asked to extend that deadline and the tax financing agreement. The financing extension would have added about $14 million in taxpayer funds. The team withdrew both requests in June. In negotiations, the developer proposed that if the financing agreement ended because funding couldn't be secured, the city would reimburse eligible project costs. The developer put those costs at roughly $5.2 million as of May 2026 and $6.0 million by year's end. In August, BizWest reported that city officials had rebuffed the proposal.

On Sept. 22, City Council voted unanimously to start the process of revoking the site development plan. Councilmember Julie Twiss represents Ward 1, which includes the Town Square site. She brought the request with Councilmember Katie Peterson and said it came "with extremely heavy hearts." "The project remains in construction plan review and significant engineering questions remain unanswered," Twiss said. "We have received no substantive work product from the developers in over two months."

The plan has not been revoked yet. Council is expected to vote Oct. 13 on a resolution to continue the process, and a final vote is expected late this year or early next. Even if the plan is revoked, the underlying contract stays in place. Under the city agreement, the development team, which includes Outpost Partners and City Street Investors, holds exclusive rights to develop the land until 2044. City Attorney Nancy Rodgers said the team could then resubmit the plan or submit a new one, according to the Enterprise's Sept. 24 report.

"Council has been unified in that we all want Broomfield to have a town square and we know our community does too," Twiss said.

The Anniversary Still Needs a Room

The City and County of Broomfield officially took effect Nov. 15, 2001. To mark it, local nonprofits and government representatives formed a group called Broomfield 2026!. The group's calendar covers four anniversaries at once: 250 years of the Declaration of Independence, 150 years of Colorado statehood, 65 years since the City of Broomfield was founded, and 25 years as a city and county. The Broomfield Historical Society calls Broomfield the most recently designed county in the country. Its Oct. 22 program, "Divine Timing: The Creation of the City and County of Broomfield. A Community Effort!," tells how many people it took to build that new government.

That program is at Broomfield Library, 3 Community Park Drive. The library is the busiest venue on the fall calendar, with events running from a teen civic forum to a comic convention to a string quartet:

The Civil War exhibit at the Veterans Museum was made with support from the Colorado 150 – 250 Commission, according to the Historical Society. The Broomfield Police Department's pumpkin event includes carving, trick-or-treating and safety tips, per the city's notice. The Historical Society says it adds events to the Broomfield 2026! calendar every month, so more anniversary programs may still be added. As of early October, no separate city-run anniversary ceremony has been posted.

The Civic Buildings Keep Expanding

The civic venues already hosting most of this calendar are also growing. The Library Friends Foundation has paid for a library vending cabinet at Paul Derda Recreation Center. The city describes it as opening soon, with the aim of offering library access outside the main building. On Oct. 5, the city announced that the Depot Museum was runner-up for "Best Museum" in the Broomfield County Gold Awards.

None of these venues were built as a downtown. Together, a library auditorium, a museum at Garden Center, a grange hall on 120th Avenue and a city building's holiday tree host most of the shared civic events Broomfield has planned for its 25th year.

New Businesses Are Opening Elsewhere

The empty Safeway lot was supposed to bring new retail and dining. Instead, this year's new businesses opened in other parts of Broomfield.

The Loco Potato, which serves loaded baked potatoes near Sheridan Boulevard and 120th Avenue, held a test opening Aug. 14 and officially opened Aug. 21. In mid-September, BizWest reported that Cosmo's Pizza had opened at 1255 E. 1st Ave. In Vista Highlands, Hammer & Nails opened its first Colorado men's grooming shop at 16810 Sheridan Parkway, Suite 112. The shop is 1,960 square feet and has about 20 employees.

A few more are still on the way. CD's Wings was building out a space at 8851 Destination Way and hiring as of late August, with no opening date announced. In July, Broomfield's Land Use Review Commission was scheduled to review plans for a new Chipotle north of Baseline. Inside FlatIron Crossing, Dick's Sporting Goods was one of 100 stores nationwide chosen to add a Lids hat shop, though BizWest's June report did not say when it would be installed.

These openings are spread across Sheridan, 1st Avenue, Vista Highlands and Destination Way. That's typical in a place without a single commercial core. Each business chose its own corridor, and the 39 acres meant to tie them together are still waiting on a council resolution.

The Next Dates on the Town Square

Council's next step is the expected Oct. 13 vote on continuing the revocation process. City Attorney Nancy Rodgers said the final vote is expected later this year or early next, which means the plan's status could still be undecided on Nov. 15, the city and county's 25th anniversary. Whatever council decides, the agreement keeps the land with the current development team until 2044.

If you're weighing what the Town Square decision could mean for a home near 120th and Main, or you just want a clear read on how Broomfield is growing, Don Preisser follows these council votes closely. He's glad to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.