A new proposal is on the table to limit the height of buildings in downtown Colorado Springs to 247 feet, which is the height of the tallest building downtown, the 16-story Wells Fargo Tower.
The proposal, made by Councilmember Dave Donelson (District 1), came after a presentation by the Urban Planning Neighborhood Services Department to the city council about existing building height regulations during a work session on Monday.
This conversation comes on the heels of a revamped proposal for a high-rise apartment building in downtown Colorado Springs. Developers proposed a 36-story apartment building on the southwest corner of Sahwatch Street and Costilla Street. It's an update to an earlier plan to build a 25-story complex, which was changed to meet financial needs.
The idea of a 36-story building may not be appealing to most residents, but there is nothing in the city zoning code to restrict the height of buildings in the heart of downtown.
There are also no requirements in place mandating that city views be preserved as it grows, contrary to popular belief.
Although the city's founders put no restrictions in place to protect the city’s mountain views, they are not ignored when considering proposed developments, Colorado Springs City Urban Planning Manager Ryan Tefertiller previously told News5.
He offered Pikes Peak Avenue, as an example, which maintains a direct view of its namesake along with many high-rise buildings lining the downtown stretch of the road.
Older versions of zoning regulations did limit the height of buildings downtown and specified a smaller High Rise Zone, which includes 5 buildings erected prior to 2001.
Back in 2016, the possibility of imposing downtown height restrictions arose during the Experience Downtown Colorado Springs project but did not make it into the final draft.
The topic is expected to come up again as the city planning staff works on updating the Form-Based Code, a multi-year project for city planners and staff. The code aims to regulate development to achieve a specific physical urban form; an ideal for what leaders want Colorado Springs to look like.
The process of updating the code includes stakeholder vetting and a public hearing process. The City Council could see the proposed updates in the first half of 2024.
If it's approved at 36 stories, the newly proposed apartment tower will be the highest downtown building by far.
Councilmember Donelson said he believes many residents are under the impression that there are building height restrictions in the heart of downtown. During the meeting, he said requirements are needed to preserve the city's character.
“I think what citizens are worried about is the character of Colorado Springs and what makes Colorado Springs an attractive place to live, a desirable place to live, is it is not Denver. It is not a city... with very tall buildings in the downtown," said Donelson.
However, Councilmember David Leinweber (At Large), said density with high-rise buildings is needed to promote growth for small businesses in the area.
“Density is actually a really good thing for small business," he said. "If we can create communities where people don’t have to jump in their car to do every single thing in their life, we’re going to reduce the traffic flow we have and pressure on all the other factors like that.”
Currently, the tallest buildings approved under Form-Based Zoning in Colorado Springs are the 10-story Hilton Garden Inn, the 7-story Weidner Apartments, the 7-story Narrate Mixed Use building to be built at Nevada and Cimarron, and the 7-story Cimarron Apartments.
These are the tallest buildings downtown approved under form-based code.
Compared with the proposed 36-story building, the next tallest is the 10-story Hilton Garden Inn, followed by the 7-story Weider Apartments and two buildings under construction and expected to also stand at 7 stories tall.
Should the council decide to limit the height of buildings in the central area of downtown, it'll send a message to the developers of a proposed 36-story apartment building.
The luxury apartment building project has three years of hoops to jump through, including getting council approval - if developers want to reach their goal of breaking ground in December 2026. And the project has been through some changes; it has grown 13 stories in two years.
Developers, the O’Neil Group and Vela Developers, initially proposed the apartment building two years ago at 25 stories tall.
Now, the project is 36 stories tall which they say is due to the fact it wasn't financially feasible to keep it at a lower height.
Developers have said the height won't block any residential views.
Whether council members are ready to green-light a 36-story tall building that'll change the skyline of downtown comes down to how the city wants to grow.
The city's urban planning team has been working for years on a new form-based code that essentially puts the vision residents have for the city, including its walkability and future growth, into city code that developers must follow.
Right now, the two tallest buildings downtown don't come close to 36 stories. The Wells Fargo building stands at 16 stories and the First Bank building stands at 14 stories. Built-in 1990 and 1966 respectively, they weren't subject to current zoning codes like the proposed apartment building.
Buildings outside of downtown are subject to height limits, but Tefertiller said, not those in the heart of the city.
"On the edges, you're restricted to four stories, going inward you can go up to six stories, ten stories, and then in the central part of the form-based zone there is not a maximum building [height],” said Tefertiller.
City zoning has the downtown area categorized into sectors of central, corridor, and transition.
The location of the proposed 36-story high rise is across the street from the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, well within the central corridor which has a minimum height of 2 stories and an unlimited maximum height for apartment buildings, civic buildings, and mixed-use buildings.
In comparison, the corridor sector (orange in the above graphic) has a max height of 10 stories, transition zone (pink) is 6 stories maximum, and transition zone 2 (yellow) is 4 stories.
As part of the presentation before the council next week, planners have provided comparisons to other United States cities which include the number of stories, overall height, year of completion, and the primary purpose of the top 10 buildings located in downtown areas. Those cities are Albuquerque, Boise, Omaha, Kansas City, Reno, and Tulsa. Much closer to home is Denver for which the planners have provided information on the top 50 tallest buildings.
If you'd like to watch the presentation from Planning and Neighborhood Services during the city council work session, here's how:
- Coloradosprings.gov/springstv
- Facebook Live: Colorado Springs City Council Facebook Page
- SPRINGS TV - Comcast Channel 18 / 880 (HD); Stratus IQ Channel 76 / 99 (Streaming)
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