High-rise approved
Dozens of residents spoke at a Colorado Springs City Council special session on Monday, April 7, asking councilors to uphold an appeal against the Downtown Review Board’s approval of a skyscraper that is set to be built on the corner of Sahwatch and Costilla Streets in Downtown Colorado Springs. Opponents of the ONE Vela building say it will block views of the mountains and alter the city’s skyline, which they called a “shared community value.”
The developers, the Colorado Springs-based O’Neil Group and Vela Development out of Kansas City, Mo., said the 27-story building, which is expected to be ready in 2028, will help address the city’s housing shortage and attract skilled younger workers to Colorado Springs. The project will have 400 housing units, 40 of which will be designated as affordable – which developers define as being restricted to tenants earning at or below the area median income.
Nearly 6,800 people have signed a petition against the skyscraper, said attorney Robert Bruce, representing residents opposed to the building. Bruce picked up on something O’Neil Group CEO Kevin O’Neil said – that the building would be “our first residential high-rise” – to warn that developers would “take advantage of this change in the skyline. If you let them build it, more will come.”
Councilman Dave Donelson said, “citizens should have the chance to vote on [building heights] but I’ve had people from the building community say to me, ‘No, we can’t allow that to happen because it will pass by a bunch.'” A resident opposed to the project implored councilors “to hear the people’s concerns and deny the permit for this building.” Instead, they voted 6-1 to allow the project to move forward. Donelson voted ‘no’; Councilmembers Nancy Henjum and Brian Risley were absent.
Granny flats
More Colorado Springs homeowners will be able to apply for permits to build Accessory Dwelling Units after the City Council passed an ordinance at the regular meeting on Tuesday, bringing the city into line with a state law on so-called granny flats. The ordinance passed by City Council had been amended since its first reading last month to include lower maximum heights, except for garage conversions which can go up to 25 ft., and a public notice requirement when applying for a permit, since there is no provision in the ordinance for an appeal process if neighbors are unhappy with a structure that goes up next door. Several councilors opposed the ordinance, saying it was forcing state rules on Colorado Springs, a home-rule city. They took particular issue with a provision that bars HOAs from “unreasonably restricting” ADUs. Councilor Mike O’Malley said that “allowed the state to usurp our authority.”
Resident Lisa Bigelow said the ordinance was unreasonable. “We, as private property owners, went into subdivisions that had (specific) zoning, invested our life savings and then the city turns around and says, ‘Whoa! We’re going to allow your neighbor to double the density of your subdivision.’ I do believe there will be legal challenges as more citizens become aware of the impact of this absolutely ridiculous state mandate on our home-rule city.” Land-use and zoning are supposed to be controlled by “us, not lawmakers in Denver,” Councilmember Dave Donelson said. “We should slow this down, not approve this today,” he said. But the vote was held and the ordinance passed, 5-3. Donelson, O’Malley and President pro tem Lynette Crow-Iverson, who many say is angling for the council presidency when the new council convenes, voted against. The state law on ADUs takes effect on June 30.
Karman Line referendum
Another controversial development project was also on the agenda Tuesday after citizens gathered enough petition signatures to force a referendum on the Karman Line annexation. Karman Line is a project of ONE | La Plata, a partnership between The O’Neil Group and La Plata Communities, developer of Briargate. ONE | La Plata wants to build a residential community of 6,000+ homes on more than 1,900 acres east of Colorado Springs (the flag), connected to the city by a long, narrow strip along Bradley Road (the flagpole). The petition says the City Council vote in January that approved the annexation “did not accurately reflect the will of the Colorado Springs Citizens” and that “flagpole annexations … create the worst kind of urban sprawl, stretch municipal services, and prioritize short-term developer profits over long-term city planning.”
Councilors voted 6-3 to keep the ordinance authorizing the City to annex the land, while also allowing voters to approve or reject that ordinance. Newly re-elected Councilors Nancy Henjum and Dave Donelson, and President pro tem Lynette Crow-Iverson voted no, with Crow-Iverson saying the high cost of organizing a special election – around $500,000 – gave her “heartburn.”
Ballots will go out to Colorado Springs voters on May 23 and must be returned by 7 p.m. on June 17.
