Midtown Corner Development Sparks Debate in Fort Collins

Electric substation and QuikTrip convenience store planned for former car dealership site

Mar. 3, 2026 at 10:49pm

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After nearly a decade of various development proposals, the fate of an old Midtown Fort Collins car dealership lot is taking shape, with the city purchasing a portion for a new electric substation and QuikTrip planning a 6,500-square-foot convenience store and fueling center on the eastern side of the property. However, some Midtown residents are pushing back against these plans, as the community had hoped for a more "downtown-like aesthetic" with mixed-use retail and residential projects.

Why it matters

The development of this prime corner in Midtown Fort Collins has been a topic of community interest for years, with residents hoping for a project that would enhance the area's character. The city's decision to locate an electric substation and a gas station on the site has disappointed some who were expecting a more vibrant, mixed-use development.

The details

The city of Fort Collins recently purchased a four-acre slice of the old Spradley Barr car dealership, 2601 S. College Ave., as the future home of a new electric substation. QuikTrip is also moving forward with plans for a 6,500-square-foot convenience store and fueling center on the eastern side of the property, located at the southwestern corner of Drake Road and College Avenue. Prior to these latest developments, the community had hoped for mixed-use retail and residential projects that would have a "downtown-like aesthetic" on the site.

  • The city of Fort Collins recently purchased the four-acre slice of the old Spradley Barr car dealership.
  • QuikTrip is inching ahead with its plans for a 6,500-square-foot convenience store and fueling center on the eastern side of the property.

The players

City of Fort Collins

The local government that purchased a portion of the old Spradley Barr car dealership lot for a new electric substation.

QuikTrip

The convenience store and fueling center chain that is planning a 6,500-square-foot location on the eastern side of the property.

Kai Kleer

The Fort Collins Senior City Planner who recently spoke about the community's expectations for a "downtown-like aesthetic" on the site.

Midtown residents

The local community members who are pushing back against the plans for an electric substation and gas station, as they had hoped for a more vibrant, mixed-use development.

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What they’re saying

“Prior to these latest developments, mixed-use retail and residential projects had been proposed on the site and the community had come to see it as a "prime development area" ripe for proposals with a more "downtown-like aesthetic,”

— Kai Kleer, Senior City Planner

What’s next

The city's plans for the electric substation and QuikTrip's convenience store project will continue to be reviewed and discussed by the local community.

The takeaway

The development of this key Midtown corner in Fort Collins has been a contentious issue, with residents hoping for a more vibrant, mixed-use project that would enhance the area's character, rather than an electric substation and gas station. The city's decisions have disappointed some in the community who saw this as a prime opportunity to shape the future of Midtown.