Localities like Fort Collins, he says, are struggling. Arterials can't keep up with the increased traffic. Our parks system can't keep up with population growth. We've instituted various fees, but we can't keep up. And yet a visitor from Virginia quickly comes to the opinion that community leaders in fast-growing Fort Collins do a remarkable job of retaining a sense of community.
Most people are real happy with the way the downtown has come back in recent years.
They should be. The are quite a few boutiques, of course, but the mix of businesses in the historic district includes two grocery stores and a hardware store. Also, there are benches, shade trees, bicycle racks, water fountains, interesting pieces of sculpture and buildings more than a century old that have been restored. We've made a sustained effort to bring back the old prairie commercial downtown, Byrne says. Fort Collins has a Landmark Rehabilitation Grant Program to encourage private investment in historic preservation.