A portion of land where Longmont’s historic sugar factory once operated is under contract for sale.
“There are five significant parcels of land involved in which three are under contract for purchase,” said Tony Chacon, Longmont redevelopment program manager. “Right now it’s too premature to determine what the financial viability (of the land) is.”
The three parcels of land under contract include property where the sugar factory’s historic building sits, land to the south that has an outdoor storage facility, and property east of Colo. 119 that is undeveloped, Chacon said.
The three parcels are being sold by three private property owners, and three different developers are each interested in purchasing a parcel, Chacon said. The developers have due diligence period before they have to decide whether or not they want to move forward with the purchase.
Dick Thomas, who owns roughly 40 acres of land where the historic building is located, at 11939 Sugar Mill Road, said he purchased the property in 1979.
Thomas said the sale of the property is not imminent because there are a lot of moving parts he and the city are still working through.
“Our (part) is doing a voluntary cleanup on the environment and at the same time figuring out the usage (of the land) and roadways,” he said.
When Thomas purchased the land, he planned to lease the facility back to Great Western Sugar Co., but the company filed for bankruptcy soon after he closed on the sale.
Besides renting the warehouses on the property, which includes 11 buildings, it has remained vacant for years, Thomas said.
The factory, formally owned by the Great Western Sugar Company, a subsidiary of New Jersey-based American Sugar Company, opened in 1903 and shuttered in 1977, according Erik Mason, curator of history at the Longmont Museum in past reporting. For most of it its 74-year lifespan, it was Longmont’s top employer, producing more than a million pounds of sugar every day during the three to four months it processed beets after harvest.
The factory’s presence is credited for nearly doubling Longmont’s population from 2,000 to more than 4,000 after it opened.
In 2012, Boulder County Public Health issued a warning to stay away from the buildings due to asbestos, unstable structures and other dangerous conditions by putting up a “stay out” sign at the property, according the report. Large fires have been started by trespassers over time, increasing the instability of some of the buildings.
Planning for the future
In 2020, the city commissioned a report by Urban Land Institute Colorado. The organization studied what needs to be done before the land can be redeveloped as well as what kind of developments would best fit the property.
Ideas for future developments range from housing to commerce to recreation, according to the report.
Six volunteer panelists helped with the report by providing the ULI Colorado and the city with different perspectives, said panel Chair Jocelyn Hittle, who at the time the report was done was senior director of Denver Programs and Sustainability at Colorado State University.
“We really focused on looking at the site and really envisioning how there could be future uses of that land that reflected its history,” she said. “We really came together as a team to look at that place over the course of a couple of days.”
Doug Elenowitz, co-founder and principal of Trailbreak Partners, who served as a panelist for the report, said his expertise was knowledge of redevelopment of a brownfield, a property where expansion or reuse may be difficult due to the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant, and his understanding of public funding.
“I was more focused on how to develop some recommendations that might get to the beginning of the process (to redevelop the area),” Elenowitz said. “My perception is that the property has been stuck for a number of years but has a wide range of interests.”
Chacon said the city hired a consultant to help plan potential uses for the property that aligns with Longmont’s comprehensive plan. The city hopes to preserve as many of the existing buildings on the property as possible.
“We are hoping to start with planning by August, and it takes a better part of a year to plan the work,” he said. “We will be working collectively with the various developing interests to help give them some guidance through this.”
The report said the factory was initially constructed in 1905 rather than 1903. It is unclear where the discrepancy in the report is from.
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Developers eye parcels at Longmont sugar factory property - Longmont Times-Call
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