Councilman explains idea of moratorium in landslide zones

A Colorado Springs city councilman will spoke more Tuesday about his idea to limit construction in and around areas prone to landslides.

Don Knight had mentioned the idea at the end of Monday’s work session.

He said that given the number of recent news reports about damage from and the threat of landslides, the council is failing in its responsibility to be more involved in addressing the situation.

“Now that (the) council realizes the scope of the problem, people are going to look to us and ask what we’re going to do about it,” Knight said. “I don’t know how long the solution is going to take.”

Knight said he wants to be included in talks resulting in a possible after-action report, which could include a moratorium on new development in landslide zones.

However, a council spokeswoman said Tuesday that Knight’s idea hasn’t been officially proposed, although it has the support of several other council members.

Mayor John Suthers and Tim Seibert, president of the local Housing and Building Association, agree that a moratorium may not be the best solution.

“I would say one of the appropriate alternatives is making sure the city, by ordinance, insists that everybody is fully informed that a house is in a landslide zone,” Suthers said.

“A moratorium doesn’t mean that all development will stop in the city,” Seibert said. “But I think it’s something that we are very cautious of, because making smart choices is a big part of development and home construction on all aspects.”

However, Fred Wisely, president of the Broadmoor Bluffs Homeowners Association and a resident of the neighborhood for 30 years, said a moratorium is overdue.

“Put the moratorium on until they get a handle on exactly what the building requirements need to be in these landslide zones, and then enforce them,” he said. “We’ve been trying to tell them that for years.”

Suthers and the council plan to meet next week to discuss the matter, and Suthers also hopes to talk with the local building industry.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 has reported that 84 homeowners applied for a federal home buyout program, and they expect to know later this week which of them qualify.

You can see if your home is in an area at risk for a landslides on this interactive map: https://cologeosurvey.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c157a2e546046faa8434309cdae557f.