COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Springs City Council voted 6-1 to approve the Royal Pine Apartments proposed for North Powers Boulevard and North Union Boulevard in the Briargate area.
The apartment complex would provide 232 units of workforce housing to the area. The developer, DBG Properties, said the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment would be around $1,100. However, the development plan has been met with months of backlash from some residents in the nearby Pine Creek neighborhood.
Many residents said they have concerns about increased traffic in the area and said the addition of a high-density apartment would pose grave risks in an emergency evacuation. Neighbors also argued residents of the apartment would use the private park and sidewalks that the neighborhood pays for. Other residents said the apartment complex simply doesn't fit in the area.
“I’m not against affordable housing at all. I just don’t think they should be placed here. They just don’t fit," said one Pine Creek resident during the meeting's public comment portion, which lasted about two hours.
The City's Planning Commission approved the concept and development plan last month, but residents appealed that decision which landed them in front of City Council Monday afternoon.
After a six-hour special meeting, council members voted to deny the appeal and move forward with the project.
Councilmember Dave Donelson was the only member to side with the opposing residents. He said the council should not change the concept plan for the area, which was approved in 2005 by the City's Planning Commission to allow only commercial use in the proposed area. Many residents said they chose to live in the Pine Creek area because of the concept plan.
"I certainly would've never purchased that property had I known there was going to be apartments right across the wildlife area," said one Pine Creek resident who bought her home 19 years ago.
After the decision, Eric Grodahl, a principal with developer DBG Properties, said he was relieved by the outcome and believes the north side of the city is lacking in affordable housing options.
"It's been a long process. I have a lot of respect for a lot of the people in opposition to this project. I've spent the last eight months getting to know them," said Grodahl.
DBG Properties said the units will be rented out to tenants at or below 30% to 70% of the area median income (AMI), which translates to income limits of $21,945 to $51,205 depending on the unit.
Stephen Parrish, a resident of the Pine Creek neighborhood, said residents will take legal action after Monday's decision. Parrish said the group plans to file an appeal with a district court within 30 days.
“Clearly by their vote, they really don’t care. This is about money. This is about developers. They’re going to continue to just throw apartments and buildings all over the city without concern for safety, traffic, emergency evacuation, any of those things," said Parrish.
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