The Plaza in the Old North College Albertsons Lot Is Built to Outlast Itself

If you've driven past 1636 N. College Ave. this month, you may have seen something new in the parking lot of the old Albertsons. The building has been empty since 2014. For most of those years, the lot was only a long stretch of asphalt on the drive between Old Town and the north end of town.

The new space is called Plaza Unidas, and its official description is "temporary." The planning documents tell a more patient story. The space was designed as an early version of whatever comes next on the site, and the same agency that built it has been buying more of North College.

Twelve Years Empty, Then One Step at a Time

The site sat quietly for a long time, and then things moved in order. Here is the sequence from the public record:

1. 2014. The roughly 50,000-square-foot grocery store closes.
2. 2022. The Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority, usually shortened to FCURA, begins talks with the owner about a purchase.
3. December 2024. FCURA signs a purchase contract.
4. July 15, 2025. FCURA closes on the purchase. NoCo Style reported that the property covers 4.68 acres and includes a 50,097-square-foot building.
5. February 26, 2026. The FCURA board chooses a design for a temporary gathering space. In a 9-0 vote, it also approves exclusive negotiations with Urban Land Conservancy to act as its Neighborhood Revitalization Partner for the long-term redevelopment.
6. April 23, 2026. The board approves a professional services agreement with Urban Land Conservancy.
7. October 5, 2026. Plaza Unidas holds its grand opening.

The first four steps took more than a decade. The last three took less than eight months. The pace changed once a public agency owned the land and could plan around it.

A Parking Lot Designed to Be Reused

FCURA's own staff report says large-scale redevelopment of the property "is not likely to begin for two to three years." The plaza was proposed to fill that gap. Staff wrote that it would benefit the neighborhood and "illustrate how reuse can be an asset to the community." The uses they listed were food trucks, farmers markets, cultural festivals, concerts and an open gathering area with no scheduled programming.

FCURA hired RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture to design the space. According to the May 28, 2026 board packet, about two-thirds of either design option could be reused elsewhere in the 1636 development once the permanent project is built. So the plaza is the first phase of the permanent project.

The board also had a cheaper option and passed on it. At its February 26 meeting, it reviewed a value-engineered version with two planted islands instead of three and resilient tile instead of synthetic turf. The board told staff to go ahead with the original design and to prepare a $282,443 supplemental budget for it. The March 26 packet presents that amount as funding for "tactical urbanism" improvements, with staff recommending approval.

Running the space was budgeted separately. The board approved $25,000 to hire someone to operate the plaza and plan its events. The proposed construction budget was roughly eleven times the operating budget, so most of the planned spending went to physical pieces meant to stay in place. The motion passed 8-0, and Executive Director Birks announced that the space would be called Plaza Unidas.

The timing also changed along the way. In May, staff expected the space to open in July 2026. It actually opened in October.

What the October 5 Opening Looked Like

The Coloradoan previewed the opening for the evening of Monday, October 5, with salsa dancing and food trucks on the program. The invitation FCURA circulated promised free ice cream from Glacier Fort Collins while supplies lasted, plus food trucks and live music. The Coloradoan gave the hours as 5:30 to 8 p.m. The invitation listed 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Poudre Libraries also scheduled an event that evening called "Evie @Plaza Unidas."

The opening was also a source of some confusion. The North Fort Collins Business Association runs the Fort North Market, and many neighbors connect that market with this part of College Avenue. Its Fort North Market page says plainly that the October 5 event was not an NFCBA event and was not organized by the Fort North Market Committee. The same page says the market has moved to 2027. As fall arrived, the association decided the outdoor event no longer had a weather-safe timeline this year and plans to resume planning in early 2027. The page also welcomes the new event space FCURA is building.

Two groups now have plans for open-air events on this part of North College. One owns the land. The other has a market waiting for spring.

FCURA has not published a regular schedule or set hours for Plaza Unidas after the opening night. If you want to know what's coming to the lot this winter, start with FCURA's website, not a general events calendar.

The Plaza Is One Parcel in a Larger Plan

The long-term plan reaches well past one parking lot. At a July 23, 2026 work session, FCURA staff and their consultants presented the "North College Super Block." This planning area is built around a community center shaped by neighborhood input, mixed-use development, walkability, transit access and preventing displacement. The planning language also emphasizes the corridor's Latino and Hispanic cultural identity. The name Plaza Unidas fits that language.

The listed next steps were a board tour of comparable projects in Denver on August 7 and a final community engagement strategy, prepared with Mi Voz, before outreach to partners, stakeholders and neighbors begins. Staff also listed continued master planning and a first draft of a governance model focused on community leadership.

The board's recent agendas show the plan moving beyond 1636:

The 1220 N. College item is the most concrete. According to the September 24 agenda, the $800,000 covers terms in a Stipulation for Immediate Possession signed by FCURA and the current owner. It would let the Authority complete the purchase and take possession of the property for redevelopment within the North College Urban Renewal Plan Area.

FCURA has also signaled how it plans to hold the land. In September 2025, staff recommended that the Authority keep ownership of its property through a ground lease and take a phased approach to development. Under that approach, the Authority keeps the land and development happens in stages.

What to Watch on North College This Winter

The plaza is open and the master plan is not finished. Several dates and documents will show which direction the corridor takes:

• FCURA board agendas. The board usually meets late in the month. Over the past year, decisions on 1636, 1630 and 1220 N. College all appeared on those agendas first, and the packets are posted at renewfortcollins.com.
• The Mi Voz engagement strategy. Partner, stakeholder and community outreach is the next listed step for the Super Block. That outreach is the public's way into the design of the permanent project.
• Plaza Unidas programming. FCURA had $25,000 to hire an event operator, and the uses it listed range from food truck gatherings to cultural festivals.
• Fort North Market in early 2027. NFCBA plans to restart planning after the new year.

FCURA's staff report estimated large-scale redevelopment of 1636 N. College was two to three years away. Until then, the plaza in the parking lot is the clearest preview of what the agency plans to build there.

If you own a home near North College and want to understand how a multiyear redevelopment like the Super Block could shape your street, Beth Bishop Real Estate follows these board meetings closely and will walk you through what has been approved and what is still being planned. Schedule Your Complimentary Home Strategy Consultation.