Mountain Shadows residents say proposed apartment complex would hinder public safety
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Some Colorado Springs residents in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood are sounding the alarm over plans to build a 228-unit apartment complex called "Arrowswest" near Garden of the Gods.
Those residents worry that the complex would further crowd an already critical "choke point" for evacuations.
Residents like Bill Wysong, President of the Mountain Shadows Community Association, say their first concern is public safety. They're worried the building project would make it incredibly difficult for residents to evacuate in the case of a wildfire.
However, the residents are also frustrated with a perceived lack of communication from the city, saying the scope of the proposed plan has changed since they were last notified.
"My biggest concern is we found out that they need a variance for part of the building to create a retention pond for stormwater," said Wysong. "And then as we started investigating, there is a lot more that has transpired with no public notification."
Wysong and others are calling on the City of Colorado Springs to hold a public meeting in two weeks to hear residents' concerns.
A spokesperson for the city said they are currently discussing holding a meeting and are very open to the idea and hearing residents' input.
They said the city council does not have to take evacuations into account when evaluating projects for approval, but the city council does have to consider traffic and fire safety as part of their public safety evaluation.
On top of public safety concerns, Wysong said residents are also worried about how the complex would alter the landscape by blocking the view of people headed to Garden of the Gods.
