To the editor:
The housing board is trying to force ADUs into Manitou (April 22 Community Forum). Their proposal to change the existing zoning code to add ADUs and increase population and housing density could forever keep Manitou from staying a tourist destination by ruining the natural picturesque beauty that attracts visitors.
This also makes Manitou a less desirable place for the homeowners who live here.
This ADU push will result in rental properties outnumbering owner-occupied homes, with rental owners most likely to add housing to increase their income. Many rental owners avoid improvement and upkeep to keep rentals affordable and occupied, resulting in decaying exteriors and unkempt yards, adding to the depreciation of surrounding homes.
The addition of ADUs will add to traffic on our narrow roads and exacerbate the already horrendous parking problems. Manitou does not have the space, water or infrastructure to add housing and population.
Most of the other current zoning codes protect the owner-occupied homes from overcrowding and keep apartment buildings or trailer parks from being built next door.
These proposed drastic code changes will cause irreparable harm and change Manitou forever. I have only 300 words to rebut a full-page opinion that includes attempts to use racism and climate change as reasons to cram more housing into an area ill-suited for growth.
The reasons why these code changes should not be made are simple: increased traffic, noise, parking problems, loss of green space, decreased water pressure, less water availability, depressed property values, historic area considerations and possible increased fire potential due to overcrowding.
If you are a homeowner, speak up and challenge these code changes to protect the investment in your home, lifestyle and the very fabric that makes Manitou a desirable place to live.
Let Colorado Springs, with vastly more resources, create more affordable housing.