Most Buyers Look at the House. Smart Buyers Look at What's Being Built Around It.
I've been selling real estate in Northern Colorado for over 30 years. I've watched neighborhoods rise and stagnate, and I've watched buyers make the same mistake over and over: they fall in love with the house and forget to ask what's happening to the infrastructure around it.
Infrastructure is the boring stuff nobody talks about at open houses. Roads. Water systems. Power grids. Fiber optic lines. School capacity. It doesn't show up in listing photos. But it's what determines whether your neighborhood gets stronger or weaker over the next ten years — and whether your investment holds.
Right now, Northern Colorado is in the middle of the largest infrastructure buildout this region has seen in decades. Here's what's actually happening, and what it means for where you buy.
I-25: The Corridor Is Finally Getting Fixed
I-25 North is the spine of Northern Colorado real estate. Everything along that corridor — Mead, Johnstown, Berthoud, Loveland, Fort Collins — is connected to its condition. For years, that spine had a broken vertebra: the six-mile "Gap" between Mead and Berthoud where two lanes of 1960s-era highway were still carrying 90,000 vehicles a day.
That's being fixed. Segment 5 — $415 million, Mead to Berthoud — broke ground May 12, 2024. When it completes in May 2028, there will be a continuous three-lane highway, including one Express Lane in each direction, from Denver to Fort Collins. That has never existed before.
Two other things happening right now that affect anyone driving this corridor:
- High Plains Boulevard opens summer 2026 — a new north-south road east of I-25 that permanently replaces the I-25 East Frontage Road at WCR 34. Local traffic gets its own route instead of competing with highway access.
- Speed cameras went live April 2, 2026 in the Mead-to-Berthoud construction zone. Eight cameras, $75 civil fines, no license points. This is not a suggestion.
- Dynamic tolling started April 7, 2026 on the completed 14-mile Express Lane section (Berthoud to Fort Collins). Peak hours (7–9 AM) run $2.70–$4.05 with a transponder, up to $8.10 without. Off-peak as low as $1.00.
The corridor also now has Mobility Hubs at Berthoud (CO 56) and Centerra-Loveland (US 34) — center-loading median platforms where Bustang buses pick up and drop off without ever leaving the Express Lane. Pedestrian bridges and elevators connect to park-and-ride lots. This is real regional transit infrastructure, not a bus stop.
Buyer implication: The Mead, Johnstown, Berthoud corridor is the strongest transit-premium play in the 970 right now. Buy before the 2028 completion, before the market fully prices in what a continuous managed lane looks like for daily commute times.
Water Security: Two Projects That Will Define Growth
Water in Colorado isn't a given. It's infrastructure — engineered, financed, and politically negotiated over decades. Two major projects define Northern Colorado's water future through 2050, and both have recent developments that matter for buyers.
Chimney Hollow Reservoir
The dam is done. Substantial completion was December 19, 2025 — 355 feet tall, which makes it the tallest dam built in the United States in 25 years. 90,000 acre-feet of capacity. 3.4 million construction hours and 12.5 million cubic yards of zoned rockfill. An onsite quarry that at peak was producing 63,000 tons of aggregate daily — the largest mining operation in Colorado during its construction phase.
Here's the complication: in 2025, mineralized uranium was found in the granitic embankment rock. The risk is leaching into raw water as the reservoir fills. Twelve water providers were expecting deliveries — including the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District and the Town of Erie. Those deliveries are now pushed to 2027 pending a mitigation plan.
The long-term water supply picture for Erie and FCLWD service area communities just got more secure — but not yet.
NISP (Northern Integrated Supply Project)
NISP is bigger and more ambitious. Two reservoirs — Glade Reservoir at 170,000 acre-feet northwest of Fort Collins, and Galeton Reservoir at 45,000 acre-feet east of Greeley — serving 15 Front Range water providers with 40,000 acre-feet annually. The exchange mechanism stores South Platte water in Galeton and trades it with irrigation companies for Poudre River water stored in Glade.
The cost has ballooned from the original $400 million estimate to $2 billion-plus by 2025. Value engineering reduced the forebay capacity from 1,500 to 500 acre-feet, but maintained the full 170,000 AF storage. Construction is scheduled to begin 2027.
Northern Colorado is planning for a population of 849,000 by 2050 — up from 525,000 in 2019. Communities with commitments to NISP or Chimney Hollow have the water infrastructure to grow. Communities without them will face constraints. This is not theoretical. Know which district serves the property you're buying.
Power: Coal Is Going Away by 2030
If your home is served by Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) — which covers Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, and Estes Park — your utility is in the middle of a complete energy transformation. PRPA has a goal of 100% non-carbon power by 2030.
The centerpiece of that transition is the retirement of Rawhide Unit 1, a 280 MW coal plant that has been the backbone of the region's baseload power since the 1970s. It was averaging 97.28% equivalent availability — one of the most reliable coal plants in the West. It retires December 31, 2029, seventeen years ahead of its original schedule.
What replaces it:
- Black Hollow Sun Solar — 150 MW, operational 2025
- Roundhouse Wind — 225 MW
- Rawhide Prairie Solar — 22 MW plus 2 MWh battery, covering 150 acres
- First utility-scale battery storage project in 2026, four-hour batteries in all four owner cities by 2027
- Virtual Power Plant program: 73 MW of enrolled flexible distributed energy resources (home batteries, smart thermostats) by 2030, with 33 MW of load-shedding capacity available on a near-daily basis
Lower carbon doesn't mean lower rates immediately. But PRPA communities are making 20-year infrastructure decisions. That kind of long-range planning signals stability — and stability matters when you're buying for the decade, not the quarter.
Fiber: Loveland and Fort Collins Are Nationally Ranked
Municipal fiber is quietly one of the most important real estate differentiators in the 970. Remote workers, tech companies, and anyone who works from home cares deeply about symmetric upload and download speeds with no data caps. Two Colorado cities have built exactly that.
Loveland Pulse
Pulse has passed every home and business in Loveland city limits with 100% fiber-optic infrastructure. In 2025, PCMag ranked it the Top Overall ISP in the Nation. Symmetrical speeds run from 250 Mbps at $59.95/month up to 10 Gbps at $199.95/month. No data caps. No throttling.
Fort Collins Connexion
Connexion completed its Fort Collins city buildout in 2024 and is now expanding into unincorporated Larimer County — 237 locations via a BEAD grant, with rural areas including Waverly and Livermore being served via DOLA grants. Full expansion completes May 2026.
Municipal fiber is one of the quiet reasons Loveland punches above its weight for business attraction and remote-worker migration. When you're comparing two otherwise similar homes — one with Pulse access, one without — that's not a small difference.
Schools: PSD Consolidating, District 6 Expanding
School capacity and facility investment are part of the infrastructure picture. Two districts are moving in opposite directions.
Poudre School District (Fort Collins)
PSD is losing enrollment at roughly 2% per year — that's approximately $6 million in annual revenue loss. The district operates more buildings than the student population can sustain. The Comprehensive Planning Committee is presenting consolidation criteria to the Board in May 2026. No closures have been announced. But the process is formally underway, and some schools will be on that list.
If you're buying near a specific elementary school in Fort Collins because it's one of the reasons you chose the neighborhood, check whether it's showing up in the district's planning conversations before you close.
Greeley-Evans District 6
District 6 is going the other direction. A $1 billion bond measure is funding complete facility rebuilds — Greeley West High School is being reconstructed from 1,000-student capacity to 1,800. James Madison STEAM Academy is under construction. Multiple schools are identified for tear-down and rebuild. Communities in District 6 are getting new facilities, not consolidation threats.
The Buyer's Infrastructure Checklist
Before you make an offer, ask these questions:
- Is your water district a participant in NISP or Chimney Hollow? If not, where does long-term supply come from?
- Is the neighborhood served by PRPA (coal-free by 2030) or by Xcel Energy?
- Is municipal fiber available at this address? Pulse in Loveland, Connexion in Fort Collins — verify by parcel, not by ZIP code.
- Is the nearest school on the PSD consolidation watch list, or is it in a growth district?
- Are you in the I-25 Segment 5 corridor (Mead, Berthoud, Johnstown)? If so, 2028 is your appreciation window. Buy before completion.
For full technical specs, bridge tables, toll pricing, dam engineering details, and all 46 citations, see the Northern Colorado Infrastructure Deep Dive in the Professional Reference Library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Chimney Hollow uranium issue contaminate drinking water?
The uranium was found in the granitic rock used in the embankment fill — not in the water itself. The concern is potential leaching as the reservoir fills. The 12 participating water providers and Northern Water are working through a mitigation plan. No water has been delivered from Chimney Hollow yet, and deliveries are not expected until 2027 at the earliest. If you're buying in Erie or in the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District service area, your water isn't coming from Chimney Hollow today — but your long-term supply picture depends on this project getting resolved cleanly.
What does the Rawhide coal plant retirement mean for my electric bill?
Short answer: not an immediate rate cut. Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) is replacing the 280 MW Rawhide Unit 1 with a combination of solar, wind, battery storage, and flexible distributed resources. The capital cost of that transition is real, and it will be reflected in rates over time. What the transition buys you is long-term price stability — renewable energy has no fuel cost volatility. If you're buying in Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, or Estes Park, you're in a utility service area making deliberate 20-year infrastructure decisions. That matters more than the next billing cycle.
Is Loveland Pulse available if I buy outside city limits?
Currently, Pulse has passed every home and business inside Loveland city limits. If you're buying in unincorporated Larimer County near Loveland, you're likely not covered yet. Fort Collins Connexion is actively expanding via BEAD and DOLA grants into unincorporated Larimer County — 237 locations are in the pipeline with completion targeted for May 2026. Rural areas like Waverly and Livermore are also in the expansion scope. Before you buy, verify the address directly with Pulse or Connexion — availability by parcel is the only reliable answer.
Should I worry about PSD school consolidations when buying in Fort Collins?
It's worth paying attention. PSD is losing about 2% of enrollment per year — that translates to roughly $6 million in annual revenue loss. The district operates more buildings than the student population can sustain. The Comprehensive Planning Committee is presenting consolidation criteria to the Board in May 2026. No school closures have been announced, but the process is formally underway. If you're buying near a neighborhood school in Fort Collins, I'd verify whether that school is showing up on the district's planning radar before you put down roots.
How much does the I-25 Express Lane cost daily for a typical commuter?
It depends on when you drive and whether you use a transponder. Peak hours — 7 to 9 AM — run $2.70 to $4.05 with an ExpressToll transponder. The 9 to 11 AM window is actually the priciest at $4.05. Without a transponder, you're paying double the rate via license plate billing. A round-trip commute during peak hours with a transponder runs roughly $5.40 to $8.10 per day. Tolling on Segments 6, 7, and 8 (Berthoud to Fort Collins) went live April 7, 2026. The $415M Mead-to-Berthoud segment (Segment 5) remains toll-free during construction — that stretch completes in 2028.
What is NISP and why does it matter if I'm buying in Greeley or Windsor?
NISP — the Northern Integrated Supply Project — is a $2 billion-plus water storage system that will provide 40,000 acre-feet annually to 15 Front Range water providers. It consists of two reservoirs: Glade Reservoir (170,000 acre-feet, northwest of Fort Collins) and Galeton Reservoir (45,000 acre-feet, east of Greeley). The exchange mechanism stores South Platte water in Galeton and trades it with irrigation companies for Poudre River water stored in Glade. For buyers in Greeley, Windsor, and surrounding communities, NISP participation means your municipality has a confirmed long-term water supply pathway as the region grows toward 849,000 people by 2050. Communities without water commitments to NISP or Chimney Hollow will face constraints. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027.