Some residents raise concerns for proposed Walmart in growing Northern Colorado town

The Town of Windsor in Northern Colorado is set to decide Monday whether to approve plans for a new Walmart Supercenter on the community's western edge, a proposal that has drawn mixed reactions from residents concerned about transparency and the store's proximity to nearby neighborhoods.

The proposed development would be built near Main Street and 17th Street on land Walmart has owned for nearly two decades.

Some residents say they were surprised to learn that the project might be moving forward.

"The small town feel is what had us coming here," said CaS Facciponti, a Windsor resident.

Facciponti bought a home nearby years ago, drawn by the area's waterways, trees and open fields. Those fields are now proposed to become the site of the Walmart development.

"The residents in Windsor care about this. It's going in our backyard," Facciponti added.

Facciponti said many residents were unaware the property had long been planned for commercial development.

"It's concerning that so many residents don't know that this has been happening," Facciponti said.

Town officials, however, said the proposal is the result of decisions made by Windsor voters years ago.

Kim Lambrecht, the town's long-range planner, said Walmart purchased the property nearly 20 years ago after voters approved rezoning the land for general commercial use. At the time, Windsor's population was about 14,000 residents. Today, the town has grown to roughly 45,000 people.

"Walmart has owned the property for nearly 20 years. It has been zoned to general commercial for nearly 20 years. So I feel like we've provided many opportunities to solicit citizen input," Lambrecht said.

When asked about the town's argument that the project has been planned for decades, Facciponti said many current residents may not have been informed about the plans before the development proposal was submitted in 2025. 

"A lot of the residents that I've spoken to really have no idea that this planning has been going on for so long," Facciponti said.

Facciponti said their concerns are not about Walmart itself but about how the town has communicated the process to residents.

"You know, I'm not anti-Walmart, but I'm definitely pro-transparency and informed decision making, and I don't feel that the town has provided its residents with any of that," Facciponti said.

The Windsor Town Board is scheduled to vote Monday on whether to approve Walmart's development proposal.

"Assuming that they meet all of our development criteria, then we absolutely will welcome them. We are open for business, so to speak," Lambrecht said.

If approved, Walmart would join several other grocery retailers along a roughly 2.5-mile stretch of Main Street, including one Safeway, one Esh's Market and two King Soopers stores serving the town's approximately 45,000 residents. The second King Soopers is approved but has yet to be built. It would be located on the eastern edge of town. 

Town officials said construction could begin within a few months if the proposal receives final approval.