Downtown Colorado Springs and the area immediately around it are undergoing a sequence of transformative urban infill projects. Needless to say, growth inspires change. In this case, the city is slowly but surely moving toward world-class status. However, a few proposals deserve more attention given that poor planning can do serious damage to any community’s long-term prospects.
Some of the changes taking place downtown define future needs. For instance, urban infill has been a thorny issue for Springs residents for several decades. Demand for apartment space is high, with a recent vacancy rate of 6.3% and the average rent hovering at around $1,130 per month. The core downtown area hadn’t seen apartment complex construction since 1960, but this has changed. At least four apartment complexes will be fully operational within a few years.
A few are already up and running. Blue Dot Place, a four-story, 33-unit apartment building southwest of Nevada Avenue and Costilla Street, is renting one- and two-bedroom apartments for anywhere from $1,100-$1,850 per month. Darsey Nicklasson and Kathy Loo, the project organizers, are literally and figuratively breaking ground in an area that has been unpopular for investment. They know this type of expansion is necessary in addressing the city’s future needs. People all across the country are moving back into urban centers, and they want quality amenities. Blue Dot Place offers an enclosed parking garage, a dog run, housekeeping services, and a retail coffee shop on the ground floor.
Meanwhile, Nor’wood Development Group and Griffis/Blessing Inc. are developing two downtown apartment buildings. One, a massive 169-unit structure at the southwest corner of Colorado and Wahsatch Avenues (across the street from El Taco Rey), has just started renting apartment space. The other, a 187-unit building on the corner of Rio Grande Street and Cascade Avenue, is under construction. It will be five stories and include underground parking, courtyards with a western view, pools, hot tubs, fitness and business centers, high-speed WiFi in the commons areas, and so on. One- and two-bedroom apartments will range from $1,000 to over $1,800 per month.
South Tejon Street is becoming a beehive of activity. At the corner of Moreno and Tejon, what used to be Southside Johnny’s will be a complex of six restaurants and bars. Two businesses to the north, Streetcar520 has opened its doors to lavish praise. The restaurant is as much a work of art as it is a dining establishment.
Just west of downtown on the other side of Interstate 25, All Pro Capital Inc. is operating a new 46-unit apartment building called 22 Spruce. The complex includes a fitness center, coffee bar, and underground parking. It also features a rooftop gathering place with a fire pit and barbecue. This section of town is evolving nicely, as evidenced by the fashionable restaurant and craft bar 503W. The neighborhood will become a popular extension of the core downtown area within a few years. It’s already a go-to entertainment spot for tourists and locals alike. In fact, the reconstruction of the Interstate 25 and Cimarron Street interchange has facilitated the westward expansion of downtown culture.
Declaring areas blighted pays off, too. The Colorado Springs City Council recently designated 100 acres of the South Nevada area between Interstate 25 and East Cheyenne Road an urban renewal site. The goal is to transform a seedy, dangerous conduit between downtown and southern Colorado Springs into an attractive retail and residential community. Property and sales tax revenues created by new development should finance public improvements along and near the corridor. Changes already include a new Natural Grocers and Chick-Fil-A. Developers and the city will be adding broad sidewalks, buried power lines, and attractive homes and rentals along Cheyenne Creek. Some developers are even working on a 25-unit, three-story complex near the former Ivywild School commercial center south of downtown.
Moreover, the U.S. Olympic Museum, one of four City for Champions projects, will open in 2019 at the intersection of Vermijo Avenue and Sierra Madre Street. This means Vermijo will become an active mixed-use business corridor gliding down a gentle slope to the museum. Developers are planning to invest around $1.2 billion over the next twenty years to make this happen. A pedestrian bridge arching over intersecting railroad tracks will connect the museum to America the Beautiful Park. The park will then become the gateway to the city’s urban center.
Of perhaps greatest significance, a sports and events center will be built near the Olympic Museum over the next few years. Development of a light industrial area southwest of Colorado and Cascade Avenues had stalled, but this has changed. A mixed-use 10,000-seat outdoor stadium will be built at CityGate, a vacant block bordered by Cimarron, Sahwatch, Sierra Madre, and West Moreno. The stadium will mostly feature Switchbacks soccer matches, but it will also host concerts of up to 24,000 people. Moreover, just to the north, a 3,000-seat Colorado College indoor hockey arena will be built on the south side of the school’s campus.
The sum of these parts can’t be accurately measured without community input. Consider the next phase of this discussion a wish list, planning guideline, stimulus for debate, or anything else that might inspire civic interest. Starting with what doesn’t work makes sense. Ask most downtown Colorado Springs business owners what drives their business away. They’ll tell you parking meters and the homeless.
Cities like Salem, Oregon don’t have parking meters in the downtown area. As a result, people relax, stay longer, spend more money, and feel good about being a part of their surroundings. It’s hard to say if Colorado Springs city planners will ever get this. Regardless, they should at least ensure free parking for the area west of Cascade as they develop it over the next several years. After all, the project will nearly double the size of the downtown area.
The planners should also design most of this downtown extension as a pedestrian mall with broad sidewalks, a trolley, and big parking lots at each end. The new bikeshare stations dotting the downtown area are a good start. Art installations created by local artists should catch the eye from striking vantage points. Likewise, anchor stores and local shops should share an equal presence. This could include everything from Banana Republic to, say, a high-end thrift store owned and operated by some young local couple. Moreover, one block should be reserved for art galleries, to include true cooperatives like Gallery 113. A beautiful museum and world-class aquarium would be nice as well. One can only hope that the right people are aiming high.
If Colorado Springs wants to represent itself as a model 21st century city, it must find ways to minimize its homeless problem. This means ministering to its neediest people in the most effective manner possible. A number of community members make this effort every day. Others are doing some thoughtful research on the subject. For instance, the state of Utah has had some luck in reducing its chronic homeless problem through well-organized, practical, and compassionate measures. To learn how Utah does it, click here. Regardless, more will need to be done or the homeless problem will grow worse with every passing day.
It’s hard to imagine a city of 450,000 with a downtown area that doesn’t have at least one Walgreens and one grocery store. Remarkably enough, this is the case for Downtown Colorado Springs. Thousands of people will be moving into downtown apartments, townhomes, condos, and lofts over the next decade. A close equivalent to a Walgreens would be fine, but two grocery stores would complement the community especially well. How about a Trader Joe’s and a less-expensive grocery store owned and operated by locals? The new apartments described earlier are comparatively expensive. Most of those who rent them will probably be earning at least $50,000 a year, which would ensure a profitable downtown Walgreens or grocery store. The Pikes Peak Market has opened next to the downtown corridor, and locals look forward to seeing it grow.
Downtown Colorado Springs needs a first-class music venue, too. The Pikes Peak Center is too elegant and tasteful for a fair number of shows. What’s needed is an ample space where concertgoers can dance, shout, sing, and spill things in a Dionysian manner. There might be an easy fix, here. Specifically, why not restore the City Auditorium to its former glory and book A-List acts from all over the world? The plumbing, seats, and sound could all be upgraded, and the entire auditorium’s appearance could be renovated to look retro-glorious. The Lon Chaney Theater, which is connected to the City Auditorium, should receive an equally thorough makeover. With all this completed, the community would be more willing to support a greater number of theater groups. Ideally, the auditorium and theater organizers could work in tandem as a cutting-edge production company with attitude.
These are just a few possibilities. Hopefully, they’ll inspire a broader conversation. Americans don’t have much control over who winds up sitting in the Oval Office, but we can make a difference at the local level. Downtown Colorado Springs is a butterfly about to leave its chrysalis. It deserves our attention. Springs residents owe it to themselves to make their city center the object of everyone’s affection. Most of the stakeholders involved seem to agree on this. Active, open discourse and the willingness to pursue a positive vision of the city’s future will make all the difference.
