Here’s what’s next for downtown Loveland

PUBLISHED: July 1, 2026 at 10:16 AM MDT by the Loveland Reporter Herald - See RH Article HERE
WRITTEN BY SEAN HAWKINS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

If you’ve been downtown recently, you certainly have noticed a flurry of construction activity in many locations.  While there may be some inconveniences with the improvements coming to Fourth Street, the truth from our perspective is we are laying a foundation for growth in Loveland’s downtown district. Some of the construction activity is related to the Heart Improvement Project on Fourth Street.

As I type this column, our construction crews are diligently working on finishing what we call “block three” between Lincoln Avenue and Cleveland Avenue by laying brick pavers on the sidewalks and installing string lighting overhead. Once the landscaping and trees are installed later this month, “block three” will be open for traffic. Only one final section, between Cleveland Avenue and West Railroad Avenue, remains before the project wraps up in November.

There’s other construction being conducted by the private sector as well. Bank of Colorado is moving quickly to complete their brand-new bank building on the corner of Third Street and Cleveland Avenue which will open this fall. The two-story building is looking great and we’re looking forward to them expanding their presence in downtown Loveland. The Dug and Firkin, a brewpub specializing in British style ales and eats will open up later this year at 243 E. Fourth Street across the street from Henry’s Pub. The work to restore this building built in 1900 has been extensive and challenging. In addition to this restoration, there are five other extensive building renovations of some of Loveland’s oldest downtown buildings in the planning phase that we expect to start construction later this year. We’re thrilled with the momentum downtown is achieving.

As downtown grows, internal conversations are happening between our organization, the Loveland Downtown District and the city of Loveland, on an important subject that many folks don’t often consider. It’s simple services. And in my profession, downtown development, services become more and more key as your district begins to grow.

The first service is maintenance. When we created our Ambassador Program two years ago, downtown had way too many weeds, fall leaves could stick around until the spring, you’d see handbills posted on light poles promoting events a month after they happened, icy spots after a snowstorm on sidewalk and so on. It wasn’t exactly a visual or user experience that exhibited the pride that I know so many of us have for Loveland.

The visible change to our downtown since our Ambassador Program has started has been so noticeable. And more and more businesses and property owners are now chipping in and keeping their spaces clean. It is perfect? By no means it is not. But are we headed in right direction? I believe so. It should be noted as well that the city of Loveland is upping their game in downtown as well and helping with numerous services to keep us looking our best. The question now is: How do we continue paying for these services, and expand the programs that will keep our soon to be completed Fourth Street looking great for years to come?

The second service is parking management and enforcement. The truth is, enforcing hourly parking regulations in our downtown district has been a low priority for the Loveland Police Department. There are far more important issues in the world of public safety here in Loveland than the turnover of parked cars in downtown and we completely understand this.

In most cities these days, a Parking Division has been created to manage parking related issues so police departments can focus on the most important challenges facing communities. Imagine this daily situation, you own a shop in downtown and you look out your front door and you see cars that don’t move day after day even though the parking spaces are marked two hours. It’s a problem and it affects everything from your perception of parking availability in downtown to creating a welcoming environment for customers.

We are currently in discussions with the city of Loveland and exploring the possible paths to bring enforcement of parking regulations to our downtown district. More to come on all these issues in future columns.

Sean Hawkins is the executive director of the Loveland Downtown District. The Loveland Downtown District is a partnership of the Loveland Downtown Development Authority and the Historic Loveland Business Improvement District. He has lived in Loveland since August 2018. He can be reached via email at shawkins@lovelandpartnership.org or by text at 970-699-2856.