Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
Yes. Greeley’s City Council approved the zoning for Cascadia in September 2025 – this action enables the project to move forward with important engineering, infrastructure, and financing considerations that are necessary before any building can begin. If the zoning is repealed, the developer and landowner can reapply for zoning approval in twelve months. A vote to repeal the zoning does not cancel or prevent Cascadia from being built, and is not an “Up or Down” vote on the project’s existence.
The project is financed so it pays for itself – meaning visitors and community members who go to the arena, hotel, water park, ice rinks, restaurants, and retail stores there. Greeley residents are not responsible for the bill, and will not see their taxes raised to cover costs. The revenue from the new arena, water park, and hotel – estimated by independent analysts at $163 million annually – will come from sales, lodging, and visitor-driven activity.
Greeley will collect all revenues from sales and lodging taxes. By 2065, after covering the cost of city services like police, fire, and maintenance, the combined entertainment and Cascadia districts are projected to generate $13.5 million in net revenue for the City each year, adding up to more than $360 million over time.
We live here too, and we want to see a thriving and vibrant Downtown! Greeley owns the entertainment district, and the intent is to strengthen Downtown – not compete with it. A new intermodal mobility hub will connect Downtown with Cascadia directly, making it easier for visitors and tourists to shop, dine, and spend time there. Today, many of those entertainment dollars are spent in other cities, which get the benefit of new sales tax revenues that could otherwise stay in Greeley.
No. This project will not raise your taxes. Greeley is using proven financial tools to pay for the project without needing new tax money. And thanks to TABOR, the city is already explicitly forbidden from increasing taxes to pay for Cascadia, or for any other purposes, without a vote on the new taxes.
Cascadia was intentionally designed to protect Greeley taxpayers – and that’s why it has been subjected to more due diligence and vetting than any other project in Greeley’s history. Put simply, the City has structured the financing to provide a number of safeguards that place financial responsibility onto bondholders, not Greeley residents or businesses. Using what’s known as a ‘moral obligation,” the City secured better financing rates. It’s important to note that future City Councils are not locked into covering losses.
The 1st Bank Center struggled financially after 2009 because it lacked a permanent sports team to provide consistent attendance and reliable revenue. Without an anchor tenant, the arena depended on irregular concert bookings and lower-demand events, which proved unsustainable. Learning from that experience, the Catalyst Arena is securing long-term stability by entering into a 40-year lease with the Colorado Eagles, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. The Eagles are the top-performing team in the AHL, with a 23-year history of strong attendance and 140 continuous sellouts at their current venue. As the anchor tenant, the Eagles will provide a stable and significant revenue stream while also generating civic pride, energy, and year-round excitement for the arena and the community.