The vision for the Centerra community began nearly 30 years ago with a piece of land that had been in the McWhinney family for generations; land that would ultimately demonstrate the opportunity for a deeper connection between development and nature.
In the last three decades, Loveland’s population has experienced massive growth, nearly doubling since 1995, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The city faced the age-old challenge: how do you support growth without losing what makes a place special and sustainable? For McWhinney, the answer was in dedicated and thoughtful master planning. The land could become home to the many people who were attracted to the quality of life here, it could serve economic interests, attracting more businesses and jobs, and it could become a model for how communities evolve while preserving natural habitats through trails, parks, open spaces, areas with native landscaping and wildlife habitats.
The plan for Centerra was set out to guide growth without sacrificing local identity or connection to the environment. Today, it is a thriving ecosystem where conservation, commerce, and community are interconnected.
A Model for the Future: Sustainability and Community
Over the past three decades, McWhinney and its partners have worked to ensure that every phase of Centerra’s growth reflects a balance between people and the environment. This collaboration ensures that Centerra’s development is proactive and anchored in a set of shared values.
Centerra’s significance as a sustainable community is grounded in the pioneering establishment of the High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC), a nonprofit whose mission is to educate communities to become replicable “living laboratories” that demonstrate restorative examples of land stewardship, native plants, and wildlife habitat. HPEC is responsible for managing Centerra’s lakes and wetlands. The partnership has redefined what it means to integrate nature into urban development.
Today, Centerra is home to well over 500 species of animals and plants, thanks to the stewardship of HPEC, which manages 483 acres of open space and stormwater ponds and three and a half miles of publicly accessible trails. HPEC is embedded in the planning and decision-making processes of the community. As a member of Centerra’s Design Review Committee, Jim Tolstrup, the Executive Director of HPEC, helps shape each new neighborhood and commercial zone. Its guidance on everything from drought-tolerant landscaping and wildlife corridors to pedestrian-friendly infrastructure ensures that development works alongside rather than in opposition to the natural environment.
Amid growing climate concerns, where growth can too often go hand in hand with eroded ecosystems, Centerra is a hopeful counterpoint. The community is Colorado’s first Certified Community Wildlife Habitat in recognition of our commitment to pollinator protection, native plant gardening, and water-wise landscaping. This is also Colorado’s first sustainable landscape community, designated by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.
Centerra’s investments in the community go beyond environmental sustainability initiatives. We believe in creating sustainable communities. In partnership with local organizations, Centerra supports and hosts a number of free annual events for the public, fostering a sense of shared responsibility by inviting residents and visitors to engage with the environment and each other. This summer, community events include local favorites like Sounds of Centerra, a weekly live concert series in July at Chapungu Sculpture Park, and Wild Wonderful Weekend, which takes place every year in September.
A regional collaborator, Centerra has given back through thoughtful civic investments, regional partnerships, and infrastructure improvements, from the creation of Chapungu Sculpture Park to partnering to bring forth key transit solutions like the Centerra-Loveland Mobility Hub. Centerra’s infrastructure investments total more than $200 million, $70 million of which has benefited the broader region.
A Thriving, Replicable Community
By prioritizing people and the environment alongside progress, Centerra has created a resilient model where success is measured by quality of life. These collective efforts reflect a conviction that economic prosperity and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive.
Centerra currently supports more than 8,500 jobs across 150 businesses, and residents and visitors can enjoy retail and dining across 85+ shops and 32 restaurants. Looking ahead, the evolution of Centerra continues with Centerra South, the next phase of planned mixed-use development spanning 140 acres and representing the next chapter in the community’s long-term vision. With plans in its first phase for nearly 900 housing units and 330,000 square feet of retail and office space, it aims to create new jobs, strengthen the local economy, and expand the community’s approach to living, working, and gathering.
The approach Centerra has taken offers a meaningful response to one of the greatest environmental challenges of our era: how to grow responsibly while preserving what matters most. The result is a real-world model where wild and built environments complement each other – one that other communities might learn from and adapt to their own unique settings.
This is what makes Centerra so important; it’s replicable. It’s a proof of concept that sustainable development can be scalable yet deeply rooted in purpose. We don’t have to choose between progress and nature; we can, and must, have both.
The High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC) aims to achieve a concept it calls Suburbitat, where suburbia and native ecosystems flourish side by side, even as the population in the Front Range continues to grow. As more and more homes need to be built, HPEC believes that individuals can modify how they expand their communities to exist harmoniously with the natural world.
"We believe in creating sustainable communities.... We don’t have to choose between progress and nature; we can, and must, have both."