Holcim to auction LaPorte land site

The auction of about 3000 acres of land and 800 shares of Colorado-Big Thompson water owned by Holcim Inc. is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 17 at the Fort Collins Hilton, 425 W. Prospect Road. The sale will be managed by J.P. King Auction Co. of Gadsden, Ala. The land is expected to be sold in 35 to 100 acre chunks for residential and commercial development, setting up the potential for hundreds of new homes just off US Highway 287. Land up for grabs is expected to include lakeshore property, ranchland and areas close to a few well-traveled roads, including Taft Hill Road and US 287.

The land and 400 of the water shares will carry no minimum price and go to the highest bidders, said Carl Carter, spokesman for J.P. King Auction Co., which will manage the sale. Holcim might decide to put a minimum price it will accept on the remaining water shares, he said.

Division of the land for sale has not been completed, said Holcim spokesman Tom Chizmadia, but it’s expected to be sold in smaller parcels for commercial and residential development. Roads have been cut into the property in preparation for the sale.

Holcim decided to auction the property in response to the number of inquiries it has had regarding the land since the cement plant closed in 2002, Chizmadia said. "We wanted to give as many people as possible the same opportunity to buy some of the property," he said. Chizmadia declined to speculate on how much money the auction would net the company, saying buyers will determine the value of the land and water rights.