COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Rancher Harvey Shonts said his 750-acre property backs up to where the proposed Karman Line annexation border, meaning the prairie behind his home would soon be full of businesses and more than 6,500 homes.
“I’m just looking at all 1000s acres that are between me and Colorado Springs, and wondering why they have to come out here and do this," Shonts said. “The whole hillside over there will be all Karman."
Supporters of the Karman line annexation say building on these more than 1,900 acres helps Colorado Springs meet the needs of its growing population, but Shonts and others say development here could result in several problems.
One big concern: providing water.
“Without water, you really have no life," said Jack Goble, Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservation District's General Manager. “The single location they are gonna target is the lower Arkansas River Valley.”
Goble said this project will likely use more water that was used for farms hundreds of miles to the south.
“Whenever we see more development, we get nervous because we know that means more dried-up farmland," Goble added.
With this plot of land being somewhat separate from city limits, another concern arises.
Nearby resident Kevin Storms said public safety is a major issue.
“If something is going to give, it's going to happen out here, and you're going to be dispatching resources all the way from in town, all the way out here until they build something out here," Storms said.
Watch ranchers and water conservancy groups share their concerns
Storms, who lives near Schriever Space Force Base, said the initial homes and businesses built here will not be protected, while emergency calls to this area will both take dangerously long and pull resources from other parts of the city.
“Response times have increased, and this is going to more than likely drive response times up to 19 to 20 minutes for priority one calls," Storms said.
Colorado Springs City Council voted 7-2 to accept the annexation request for this land back on January 15.
The vote to approve the annexation is Tuesday, January 29.
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