Council debates S.T.E.A.M versus sugar mill development

Consultants plan to get ideas from residents, developers and other stakeholders over the next few months on how best to develop 250 acres in southeast Longmont, including the abandoned Great Western Sugar Mill site.

Some councilors said, Tuesday night, they are not convinced the revamping of the Sugar Mill should be tied with the emergence of a proposed technology hub, also known as S.T.E.A.M — or Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts. Math. City officials Tuesday night said S.T.E.A.M could include a makerspace where people — especially students — could gather to work on high-tech projects.

Councilor Aren Rodriguez said the two sites are not naturally linked geographically as Martin Street divides the two areas — S.T.E.A.M being east of Martin and the Sugar Mill to the west. S.T.E.A.M would be closer to development in downtown Longmont, Rodriguez said.

“At the end of the day, I’d like to see the Sugar Mill redevelopment, I just think it is a very different concept,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think connecting them makes sense.”

There are too many unknowns about the Sugar Mill area, including hazardous waste mitigation and transportation, Councilor Marcia Martin said. “We need to understand how the east-west connectivity is supposed to work,” Martin said. 

The S.T.E.A.M and Sugar Mill parcels are part of a consultant’s study to come up with ideas to develop both. The study area consists of multiple properties, generally located from the E. Ken Pratt Boulevard and East Third Avenue intersection on the east and Main Street on the west, from Third Avenue to Boston Avenue and the railroad tracks, according to a city staff report.

The properties within the general study area have frequently been identified as a priority for redevelopment and preservation, especially the Sugar Mill site, because it is part of the city’s eastern gateway, said Erin Fosdick, the city’s principal planner.

Revamping the Sugar Mill and piecing together S.T.E.A.M “would be a huge development opportunity” for Longmont, Rhonda Bell told the city council Tuesday night. Stantec is the consultant hired to come up with possibilities for both sites. .

Stantec’s Danica Powell said the consultants will be gathering feedback from several groups, including those with environmental concerns, through March and then get opinions from the community at large in the spring.