Colorado Real Estate Journal - March 2, 2016
Scheels has broken ground on what will be the second largest sporting goods store in the country, complete with a 65-foot indoor Ferris wheel. Scheels All Sports Inc. and Johnstown Plaza LLC recently closed on the acquisition of 43.18 acres of land near the southeast corner of Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34 in Johnstown. The property will house one of Northern Colorado’s largest shopping centers, Johnstown Plaza, anchored by the 250,000-square-foot Scheels. The sellers were 2534 Retail Phase I LLC and 2534 Retail Phase II LLC, affiliates of Chrisland Real Estate Cos. The property is part of the 600-acre 2534 master-planned, mixed-use community. “Scheels and Johnstown Plaza will be an outstanding community asset for Johnstown and the region. This is a big rock to drop in the 2534 pond, and we are already seeing the ripple effect with many other businesses choosing to locate at 2534,” said Ryan Schaefer, chief executive officer of Chrisland Real Estate Cos. “We are grateful for the investment from Scheels and Johnstown Plaza LLC in our community,” Schaefer said. The Scheels store will feature a 16,000-gallon aquarium at the main entrance, a café, shooting gallery, and athletic equipment and clothing for men, women and children. The store will feature golf, bike, ski, canoe and kayak, fishing and hunting shops. It is slated to open in mid-2017. At build-out, Johnstown Plaza will comprise 1.1 million sf. Schaefer and Jake Hallauer of Chrisland Real Estate were the listing brokers on the land sale, with Brent Coan and Edwin S. Chapin of Coan, Payton & Payne LLC serving as the seller’s counsel. Travis Ackerman and Nate Heckel of Cushman & Wakefield represented Johnstown Plaza.