Proposed visitors center at AFA goes before planners, public this week in Colorado Springs

The first step in the approval process for a proposed new visitors center at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is expected this week.

On Thursday, the city’s planning commission will review the project for the first time, hear public comment and ultimately vote on whether to annex 183 acres into the city.

The 183 acres would continue to be owned by the Air Force, with 57 acres used for development and the rest remaining as open space outside the Academy’s north gate.

The project would cost $20.5 million and include millions more in private development — shops, restaurants, offices and hotels.

Revenue from state tourism taxes is funding the project but it must be considered by the planning commission and requires approval by the City Council, a decision that could happen this spring.

Officials said the project won’t affect the nearby Santa Fe trail, and a new trailhead area is part of the overall project.

The proposed center is one of five facets in the City For Champions initiative, projects designed to increase tourism and strengthen the local economy.

If approved, construction of the center could start in late spring and be finished by the end of the year.

Already under construction is the Olympic Museum. Work should begin this year on indoor and outdoor sports/events centers, and a sports medicine research center on the campus of University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.