COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The application for a controversial development from 2424 Garden of the Gods LLC has been withdrawn according to Colorado Springs City Officials.
The Nevada-based developer company had been in the process of attempting to rezone and build a high-density housing development in the corner area of the 2424 Garden of the Gods Road.
The proposed development would establish 320 housing units in the 125-acre plot.
The development received a lot of pushback from neighbors who live in the area of 2424 Garden of the Gods Road.
News5 spoke with Bill Wysong, the president of the Mountain Shadows Community Association, who says that the possibility of the plan being re-submitted still exists.
"So they had a quorum, it was legal to hold the hearing. And like I said, they bailed," said Wysong. "And now for us in the community are put back in the uncertainty and anxiety of okay, what are we gonna do?"
The application was rescinded just a day before a proposed hearing between the Mountain Shadows Community Association and the developer on March 28th. The developer had submitted a letter on March 21st, to City Council requesting to postpone the slated hearing until August 8th.
With the application being pulled, that hearing did not take place on Tuesday at City Council.
Councilman Bill Murray said council planned to reject the appeal, even though the city planning commission recommended it be approved. He also believes the developer withdrew the application to try to keep the project going in the future.
“They knew that what we're about to do, we're about to vote against that particular project, again, in the best interest in the community," said Councilman Murray. “It is evident from the comments made by the developer that he feels, or they feel, that they'll get out a better outcome to the new council, whoever they are.”
News5 has reached out to the developer and their attorney, and we have not heard back.
Many people in the area say new housing would increase the difficulty of evacuating if there was a wildfire. The lack of mountain views, traffic, and lack of parking were others concerns that they had expressed.
The developer's most recent 2022 application, after being struck down in 2021, cited the city's 'Know Your Zone' evacuation plan and the completion of the Centennial Blvd. extension to Fontanero adds another egress route in case of evacuations in the area.
There is no information at this time as to why the developer decided to pull the application at the very last second. However, if the developer decides to re-submit a new application they will be required to follow the entire process again. That includes going through the planning department, holding neighborhood meetings, and then the planning commission again.
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