Briargate homeowners accuse city of ‘obscuring’ information about new apartment complex build

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Residents in Windjammer, a Briargate neighborhood, are up in arms after they allege the city “obscured” information about an apartment complex being constructed next door.

The Fox Bridge on Union project was initially proposed in 2018. Windjammer residents, like Laura Evans, were notified of the project but she said the extent of the notification included little information about what the project entailed so she thought nothing of it.

“We just assumed it would be aligned with the rest of the residential development in the area,” Evans said.

Laura has been in the neighborhood since 2005, so she was surprised to see that when construction started in 2022, the buildings were three-story apartments. According to the city, developers have six years to start building once a project is approved. 13 Investigates reached out to the developer, Bohannon Development, but never heard back.

“As we saw that going up, we got really alarmed because of just the height of the building and the scale of it and the fact that it's so massive,” Evans said.

According to the Colorado Springs Planning Department, the property is zoned Office Complex which allows for mixed-use development, including office uses as well as residential use types, like apartments. The apartment complex falls under the maximum height of 45 feet for the zoned area.

During the approval process back in 2018, Evans claims the city never told residents what type of project was going on at the location.

“They sort of obscured it,” she said. “They just gave us general information and then sat back and waited to see if we would object to it. I think they should have been forthcoming and said, ‘Here's what we plan to do.’”

Katelynn Wintz, a planning supervisor with the city of Colorado Springs, said the planning department sends a variety of different postings, including signage or postcards mailed to residents who live within 1000 feet of a proposed project. These notifications allow residents to comment, either in support or opposition, on the project.

“We do utilize those comments to find areas of common ground or where those comments may intersect with the review criteria that we are asked to uphold,” Wintz said.

Evans poses an even larger developmental question — should apartment complexes even be included in residential areas? It’s a conversation happening in multiple city departments.

“We are charged with identifying where this project satisfies the review criteria in order to grant an approval on an application,” Wintz said about a project conforming to the surrounding area.

Evans opposes the idea of apartment complexes near neighborhoods, saying the apartment complex being built near her home isn’t visually appealing and has increased noise in the quiet neighborhood, threatening her property values.

“The noise is probably as much of a factor for my quality of life here as just the fact that that's the first thing you see when you pull into the neighborhood,” she said, pointing to the apartment complex behind her.

Do you have a tip you want 13 investigates to look into? Email us at 13investigates@krdo.com