Did you know the last multifamily apartment complex in Manitou Springs was built 51 years ago in 1973? That’s the Fountain Creek Apartments (459 El Paso Blvd.).
Manitou Springs has a housing affordability crisis and limited growth opportunities with little vacant, unconstrained land for development. Due to this, the high costs of development and Manitou Springs’ code allowances related to density, there have been very few rental housing units added to the building stock recently.
The Manitou Springs Housing Advisory Board (HAB) believes our city would benefit from a newly constructed multifamily apartment and as such provided an Oct. 16 letter of support for Paragon Realty’s proposed development at 123 Manitou Ave. This letter was submitted to the Manitou Springs Planning Commission along with the density variance request from Paragon Realty, approval of which would have allowed its multifamily apartment project to move forward. The Commission denied the request and a commissioner suggested that a better course of action would be for Manitou Springs City Council to change the code to allow greater density in that area. [See “Manitou housing development blocked by ‘exclusionary’ zoning” in the Jan. 10 edition of the Pikes Peak Bulletin. –ed]
The HAB did not take the decision of whether to write a letter of support lightly. As Manitou Springs citizens none of the HAB board members are trained planners or developers and we inform our decisions based on data and thoughtful research. In considering the letter of support we assessed whether granting the variance would adversely affect adjacent properties, change the character of the zone district, and adversely affect health, safety, and welfare.
This can be accomplished in an appropriate way.
The HAB support for this multifamily apartment was not unanimous because members serving on HAB prioritize increasing our community’s development of affordable housing serving low-income community members. This includes seniors age 65+ on fixed social security income becoming priced out of safe rental housing in Manitou Springs due to increasing rental rates; many have to leave their beloved community to secure attainable housing elsewhere.
While Paragon Realty’s proposed rents are not affordable to low-income community members, the HAB appreciates that the design does not include high-end amenities which would directly increase rents, as seen in many of the luxury apartment developments being built in Colorado Springs. The HAB urges Paragon Reality to continue to investigate opportunities to make the housing costs for occupants affordable while not compromising the quality of construction. This includes investing in the energy efficiency of the buildings to improve occupant comfort, reduce utility costs, improve building resiliency, and support building decarbonization goals. The HAB offers support to work with Paragon Realty to evaluate and recommend efficient building design options.
Adequate rental units in Manitou Springs will continue to be in short supply, and renters face high and ever-rising costs. The HAB recommends that in addition to approving the requested density variance for this project, the City Council address this in the near term by reassessing the height and density restrictions and updating the code to recognize the need for denser developments to meet Manitou Springs’ housing needs for all citizens. The HAB believes this can be accomplished in an appropriate way that continues to respect Manitou Springs’ composition and encourage good design.
The proposed multifamily project will increase options for safe, habitable rental housing in Manitou Springs. If it does not move forward, we may not see another multifamily rental housing proposal for a long time.
For more info about becoming a HAB member or our efforts, seek info at ManitouSpringsCo.gov/212/_Housing-Advisory-Board-HAB or contact Zachary Davison at ZDavison@ManitouSpringsCo.gov.
