Last December Hardy was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Brinkman Partners. In 2007 LovelandPolitics published an article regarding Hardy's controversial move to McWhinney which followed constant leaking of the county's negotiations with a hotel operator and an attempt by McWhinney to steal the development away from the county. link to story Now Hardy has put his personal contacts with Loveland's elected officials he developed while working for McWhinney to work for Brinkman Partners rising quickly to the position of COO. A former longtime resident of Ault, Hardy now resides in Windsor's Lake Valley development. |
LovelandPolitics
| Loveland's Independent News Source |
City to Sell Property for $5,000 SEE SALES AND PURCHASE AGREEMENT |
Loveland - September 10, 2016
After four years of effort and spending over $8 million acquiring properties for the "South Catalyst "
project in downtown recently renamed The Foundry, the City of Loveland plans to sell one key piece of
real estate in the project to Brinkman Partners for $5,000. The original developer, New Jersey based
Michaels Development Company, abandoned the project in 2015.
Ironically, Brinkman Partners' Chief Operating Officer and former McWhinney executive Jay Hardy
captured the project away from one other bidder, Momentum/Prime West, by promising more private
investments in late 2015 and less public dollars. The projected $60 million of private investments
necessary to complete the project, however, hasn't been forthcoming.
Now, only 8 months later, Brinkman Partners is abandoning its own proposed investment of $2.7
million into the project by asking the city to establish a metro district to pay for the parking garage and
other costs. This is similar to McWhinney's scheme in Centerra where public monies taxed through a
metro district pay to improve properties the developer owns and later sells at a profit. The difference
here, however, is the city first acquired the property which is being sold to the developer at pennies on
the dollar of its real value.
In January Loveland's City Council approved McWhinney's Centerra using public monies to build a
parking garage that would be part of a private development owned by McWhinney. Since its inception
McWhinney tried to use public monies for private parking garages (see Grand Station) but was rebuffed
by previous councils. Now former McWhinney executive Jay Hardy is trying to duplicate what he
learned working for McWhinney into the downtown revitalization project by using public monies in
what the local media calls "private" investments because the developer controls the taxing entity.
Councilors Defended Threatening Eminent Domain Because Project Was "Public"
In 2014 the City of Loveland wielded a big hammer in forcing property owners of historic buildings in
the southern part of the old downtown to sell their properties to the city. City employee Michael Scholl,
whose role has changed over the course of the project, approached property owners sometimes alone
and sometimes with members of Loveland's City Council saying the project was to be "public" so
eminent domain would be used to acquire their properties anyway should the owners fail to cooperate.
Loveland's City Council is now being provided a resolution for review at their Tuesday study session,
presumably worked on by Scholl and Hardy, which states,
"Whereas, the Property is not needed for any governmental purpose, and it is in the best interests of
the City and its citizens to sell the Property to the Developer to facilitate the redevelopment of the
Project: and...."
Approval of the Metro District election and transfer of the property at 130 N Cleveland for $5,000 to
Hardy's company is scheduled for a vote by the Loveland City Council on September 20, 2016.
Hardy's Company (Brinkman) To Pay $5,000 For Land
Metro Districts are quasi-governmental taxing entities approved and supervised by the city.
Establishing such a District requires a vote of the property owners to be agreed upon per TABOR
(Taxpayer's Bill of Rights) as part of Colorado's Constitution since it will have the authority to levy
property taxes upon the owners of property within it boundaries.
Because the City of Loveland pays no property taxes as a governmental entity, only private property
owners may participate in the Metro District election. Therefore, the City of Loveland is proposing to
sell Brinkman Partners the property located at 130 N Cleveland described as "Lots 10, 11 & 12, BLK
24" for only $5,000. Following the sale, Hardy's company will be the sole private property owner
within the proposed boundaries of the Metro District (South Catalyst) therefore able to approve the
new taxing district since the other properties are still owned by the city.
Early next year, the city will begin transferring the remaining properties to Brinkman for development
at prices not yet disclosed.
Larimer County's Role
Larimer County was an on and off again partner of the project since the inception. County officials were
angered earlier this year when Loveland's City Council approved McWhinney using public money to
build a parking garage in their development in east Loveland. This is because Larimer County along
with other large proposed tenants of South Catalyst were being asked to contribute towards the city's
cost of the public parking garage. McWhinney's project, in east Loveland, shifted the burden of building
the parking garage onto public debt created by the Centerra Metro Districts thus becoming a more
competitive offering for new employers or retailers looking to locate in Loveland.
Larimer County Commissioner Tom Donnelly referred to then Loveland City Manager Bill Cahill as
"bipolar" in correspondence to other officials. Ultimately, the South Catalyst project's failure
contributed to the firing of Cahill earlier this year. See the links to previous stories in upper right.
.
After four years of effort and spending over $8 million acquiring properties for the "South Catalyst "
project in downtown recently renamed The Foundry, the City of Loveland plans to sell one key piece of
real estate in the project to Brinkman Partners for $5,000. The original developer, New Jersey based
Michaels Development Company, abandoned the project in 2015.
Ironically, Brinkman Partners' Chief Operating Officer and former McWhinney executive Jay Hardy
captured the project away from one other bidder, Momentum/Prime West, by promising more private
investments in late 2015 and less public dollars. The projected $60 million of private investments
necessary to complete the project, however, hasn't been forthcoming.
Now, only 8 months later, Brinkman Partners is abandoning its own proposed investment of $2.7
million into the project by asking the city to establish a metro district to pay for the parking garage and
other costs. This is similar to McWhinney's scheme in Centerra where public monies taxed through a
metro district pay to improve properties the developer owns and later sells at a profit. The difference
here, however, is the city first acquired the property which is being sold to the developer at pennies on
the dollar of its real value.
In January Loveland's City Council approved McWhinney's Centerra using public monies to build a
parking garage that would be part of a private development owned by McWhinney. Since its inception
McWhinney tried to use public monies for private parking garages (see Grand Station) but was rebuffed
by previous councils. Now former McWhinney executive Jay Hardy is trying to duplicate what he
learned working for McWhinney into the downtown revitalization project by using public monies in
what the local media calls "private" investments because the developer controls the taxing entity.
Councilors Defended Threatening Eminent Domain Because Project Was "Public"
In 2014 the City of Loveland wielded a big hammer in forcing property owners of historic buildings in
the southern part of the old downtown to sell their properties to the city. City employee Michael Scholl,
whose role has changed over the course of the project, approached property owners sometimes alone
and sometimes with members of Loveland's City Council saying the project was to be "public" so
eminent domain would be used to acquire their properties anyway should the owners fail to cooperate.
Loveland's City Council is now being provided a resolution for review at their Tuesday study session,
presumably worked on by Scholl and Hardy, which states,
"Whereas, the Property is not needed for any governmental purpose, and it is in the best interests of
the City and its citizens to sell the Property to the Developer to facilitate the redevelopment of the
Project: and...."
Approval of the Metro District election and transfer of the property at 130 N Cleveland for $5,000 to
Hardy's company is scheduled for a vote by the Loveland City Council on September 20, 2016.
Hardy's Company (Brinkman) To Pay $5,000 For Land
Metro Districts are quasi-governmental taxing entities approved and supervised by the city.
Establishing such a District requires a vote of the property owners to be agreed upon per TABOR
(Taxpayer's Bill of Rights) as part of Colorado's Constitution since it will have the authority to levy
property taxes upon the owners of property within it boundaries.
Because the City of Loveland pays no property taxes as a governmental entity, only private property
owners may participate in the Metro District election. Therefore, the City of Loveland is proposing to
sell Brinkman Partners the property located at 130 N Cleveland described as "Lots 10, 11 & 12, BLK
24" for only $5,000. Following the sale, Hardy's company will be the sole private property owner
within the proposed boundaries of the Metro District (South Catalyst) therefore able to approve the
new taxing district since the other properties are still owned by the city.
Early next year, the city will begin transferring the remaining properties to Brinkman for development
at prices not yet disclosed.
Larimer County's Role
Larimer County was an on and off again partner of the project since the inception. County officials were
angered earlier this year when Loveland's City Council approved McWhinney using public money to
build a parking garage in their development in east Loveland. This is because Larimer County along
with other large proposed tenants of South Catalyst were being asked to contribute towards the city's
cost of the public parking garage. McWhinney's project, in east Loveland, shifted the burden of building
the parking garage onto public debt created by the Centerra Metro Districts thus becoming a more
competitive offering for new employers or retailers looking to locate in Loveland.
Larimer County Commissioner Tom Donnelly referred to then Loveland City Manager Bill Cahill as
"bipolar" in correspondence to other officials. Ultimately, the South Catalyst project's failure
contributed to the firing of Cahill earlier this year. See the links to previous stories in upper right.
.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| See significant South Catalyst stories beginning in January of 2014 |
| Jay Hardy Brinkman Partners May 2015 to Present McWhinney General Manager March 2007 to May 2015 Larimer County Director of The Ranch 2001-2006 City of Ft. Collins Ft. Collins DDA 1998-2001 |
| Formerly the "South Catalyst" project now being called the "Foundry" covers most land between 1st & 3rd streets in Loveland's downtown between Cleveland and Lincoln Ave. |