Proposed Mountain Shadows ordinance, impact on trees

The Colorado Springs City Council may have pushed back the vote on an ordinance that would impact neighborhoods burned in the Waldo Canyon Fire, but a decision will be made eventually. A new vote is set for two weeks.

Many Mountain Shadows community members called the ordinance confusing and unfair. If passed, homeowners rebuilding would be held to the new standards, but those with untouched homes wouldn’t have to follow the new regulations.

One of the most hotly debated topics within the ordinance included trees. Some homeowners say they thought they would no longer be able to have trees on their property.

“She didn’t want me to be the defoliate of mountain shadows and obviously, that is why we changed the wording to make sure it was clear to folks that we are not about getting rid of those trees,” said Fire Marshall Brett Lacey, of a homeowner during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

With its new examples, the ordinance indicates that evergreens must stand 15 feet away from structures. That is a 5 foot increase to the current code. However, trees that lose their leaves in the winter would be able to be placed at that 10 foot mark.

In addition to new tree placement rules, if the ordinance passes, homeowners would have to rebuild using only certain fire resistant materials.

Some people living in the affected neighborhood say that these proposed ordinance changes are a waste of time, because many of the people who lost their homes did proper fire mitigation and had built their houses using fire resistant materials.

Lacey said, in contrast, that a large percentage of the homes burned had shake shingle roofs or other materials that easily burn.

The first meeting is September 13th at 7 p.m. at the Chipeta Elementary School Gymnasium located at 2340 Ramsgate Terrace.

The other meetings are set for September 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Together Center located at 6840 Centennial Boulevard, Suite A.