In Northern Colorado, most people know Centerra as a place to shop or grab a bite or go to a movie. It’s also a favorite location for corporate offices and the home of UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies. And over the past couple years, it has gained recognition as the region’s top-selling new-home community. What most people don’t know is why Centerra has become all these things.

The McWhinney company began work on Centerra about 30 years ago. The seed was a plot of land near I-25 and Highway 34, land that had been in the McWhinney family for generations. But the larger vision was to create a place that could accommodate the growth coming to Northern Colorado, making room for more businesses, jobs and people while allowing Loveland to retain its unique Colorado small-town character. There’s a term for this approach to community-building.

It’s called smart growth

And there’s a big difference between smart growth and sprawl. Smart growth recognizes that you can’t stop people from moving into a desirable place like the Colorado Front Range. But you can create a plan for it.

Smart growth means getting ahead of future growth instead of letting it happen in a haphazard, disjointed way. It means public and private interests working together to achieve a holistic vision of community. Bringing together a mix of homes, workplaces, shops, restaurants, parks, schools and so forth, which helps minimize the need for driving and maximize the opportunity to move through your day on foot or bike.

And at least in the case of Centerra, it means keeping a healthy dose of Colorado nature in the mix, in the form of two big lakes, an extensive trail network and all sorts of natural open spaces and outdoor gathering places.

The nature of Centerra

One of the earliest steps in the creation of Centerra was the establishment of the non-profit High Plains Environmental Center. This unique organization is charged with protecting, maintaining and creating habitats that attract and sustain a diverse wildlife community including all-important pollinators. And yet it does so much more.

The HPEC has become a one-of-a-kind example of how a growing community can work with nature instead of against it. With a wide range of educational programs, the HPEC teaches kids and adults about our Colorado environment. With its demonstration gardens and annual Native Plant Sale, it promotes water-wise, pollinator-friendly landscaping. And through its efforts, it helped make Centerra the first place in Colorado to be certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

A wider vision of community

Looking to the future

As one of Northern Colorado’s most forward-focused communities, Centerra has shown how popular destinations such as Loveland can manage their growth, channeling it into a healthy mode that benefits the entire region.

And yet for all Centerra has done, there’s still plenty more Centerra can do. More land for parks, schools, affordable housing and emergency services. More opportunities to create new homes, workplaces, shops and restaurants, which will provide more resources for the City of Loveland and Larimer County. More ways to gather around good food, live music and other cultural experiences. And with some smart, creative, long-term thinking, we can work together to make sure that as Loveland grows, it still remains Loveland.

Learn more

Visit Centerra.com/SharetheLove for more details and to sign up for ongoing updates about Centerra and smart growth in Loveland.