Reinventing Downtown

Old Town Fort Collins

Feel the energy of Fort Collins come to life in Old Town Square where a redbrick pedestrian walkway surrounds a bubbling water fountain and people of all ages converge to shop, eat, and socialize. Outdoor concerts and a string of special events keep the downtown area of Fort Collins vibrant and full of life throughout the year. Maps of the area are available from the Convention and Visitors Bureau, individual merchants, and city offices; and the Fort Collins Museum conducts guided tours of Old Town during the summer on Saturdays at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.

Local incentive programs

The City of Fort Collins has established an economic development policy that allows the rebate of use taxes paid by qualifying firms on qualifying equipment. On a case-by-case basis, the county will consider negotiating financial incentives, giving up to a 50 percent credit towards a company’s personal property tax liability for up to four years. As of 1997, the community created the Fort Collins’ “Virtual Incubator,” a cluster of programs designed to nurture start-up businesses much like a concrete incubator does. The virtual incubator, rather than being based in one building, is a clearinghouse of information to focus help already available to new businesses and will obtain reduced-fee services from local experts to help launch new businesses.