COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — People who live in El Paso County say they have mixed feelings about the Amara annexation.
Colorado Springs City Council members approved the annexation of 3,200 acres of land into the city. The City Council voted 5-4 to approve the annexation Tuesday night.
Developers want to build houses, schools, and parks in the community. You can view the master development plan for yourself below.
The 9,500-unit maximum dwelling development would include single-family, and multi-family dwellings. In questioning from city council members, the developers laid out an estimated development plan that would be completed in 24-25 years if everything went smoothly, in the first 5 years, 2,000 units would be developed and within 10 years, 4,000 units would be developed.
The cost of this housing was briefly discussed, and project developers stated each unit would start in the upper $300,000 range based on market projections.
Some people are concerned about the annexation proposal. Mark Parker, who lives in El Paso County, reached out to News 5 about this issue.
"It's just a bad idea for the city to do this," Parker said.
His concerns are whether or not the City of Colorado Springs could provide water and emergency services for future projects.
In Tuesday's meeting, these concerns were addressed by members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department, the Colorado Springs Police Department, and Colorado Springs Utilities.
As we previously reported, in discussions over the city's water supply, at the beginning of 2023, the City Council approved changes in city ordinances to annexation based on recommendations from Colorado Springs Utilities.
Water supply and growth: New annexation rule passes in Colorado Springs
Parker says the area does not have infrastructure ready.
"Marksheffel Road has two lanes. Link Road has two lanes. How and who are going to pay for these upgrades?" Parker said.
Developers say the Amara project will add 24,000 residents and bring more than 3,000 jobs, creating a $30 million fiscal impact.
Colorado Springs economics professor Dr. Bill Craighead says the annexation could benefit the city.
"Colorado Springs has the opportunity to grow by annexing additional territories. That's something a lot of older cities don't have," Dr. Craighead said. "From the city's point of view, it's going to bring tax revenues."
However, Dr. Craighead echoes similar concerns: the city needs to figure out money to provide extra services for people in the Amara community.
"I'm horribly worried," Parker said.
Mayor Yemi Mobolade said during Tuesday's press conference, "One of my jobs as mayor is to balance the need to grow with how we grow. I've always said intelligent growth is the way to go."
Over 40 members of the public attended the meeting to provide comments on the project, those in favor were hopeful that the annexation would provide better options for housing for members of the various military installations in the area.
Multiple people spoke from across Colorado Springs, as well as the greater Southern Colorado region discussing the concerns for water sustainability for communities along the Arkansas River Valley, and concerns over the stresses of the annexation on first responders and response times.
News 5 will continue to follow the timeline of this development. Have concerns about the project? Reach out to us by filling out the tip form below.
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Is it 'truly' affordable to live in Colorado Springs?
How easy is it to find an affordable home? If someone earns $51,000 a year and a third of their income goes to rent, they would need to find an apartment for about $1,280 a month. News5's Eleanor Sheahan takes you on a journey searching for this answer.
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