Plan to build hospital in landslide zone raises concern

The plan by a local hospital to build a new branch in west Colorado Springs is raising eyebrows.

Penrose-St. Francis wants to build its third facility in town near the intersection of Centennial Boulevard and Fillmore Street.

However, although the proposed location is relatively flat, it’s considered to be in a landslide zone, according to the Colorado Geological Survey.

In a recent report, the CGS recommends further study of the location before construction proceeds.

Penrose spokesman Chris Valentine said he’s aware of the concern but said landslide issues at the location can be addressed by careful planning.

“We wouldn’t invest $500 million in a 300-bed hospital if we weren’t going to address issues with landslides, soil and drainage,” he said. “We think only the far north end of the property is in a landslide zone.”

Valentine said Penrose selected the location because it’s centrally located, has easy access to Interstate 25 and allows for future expansion.

But slightly north of the property is the Holland Park neighborhood, where a 1999 landslide destroyed nine homes.

“It sounds a little unsafe if it’s landslide territory,” said Amanda Skolnicki, who lives in the neighborhood. “There’s another Penrose Hospital not far away. But if they test the ground here, I guess a new one would be safe.”

The city approved the new hospital pending review of the project’s site development plan that Penrose expects to complete within the next year.

City Councilman Bill Murray was the only member to vote against the plan.

“It wasn’t because of landslides,” he said. “If you spend enough money to build a strong enough foundation, you can resist landslides. I was against Penrose getting a variance on the height limit from 60 feet to 200 feet. That’s gong to block the mountain views for some people.”

Murray suggested two alternate locations for the project: the North Nevada Avenue corridor near the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and the future headquarters of a cybersecurity center; and the Drake power plant downtown, which will be decommissioned by 2035.

“It makes more sense to spend money on other things that enhance a project, than to spend on mitigating landslide issues,” he said. “Penrose chose their location because there were no options available at the time. Now there are.”

Penrose’s two existing hospitals will remain open after the new facility is built.