Karman Line ballot question: What are you voting for, and who is funding the ads you see?

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Springs residents have under two weeks to hand in their ballots for the city's Special Election on June 17th, which will decide the fate of the controversial Karman Line annexation.

The annexation encompasses an area of 1,800 acres and would create 6,500 varied housing units.

The ballot question reads: "Shall the voters approve Ordinance 25-16, concerning annexing that area known as Karman Line Addition No. 6 consisting of 1,876.24 acres located near northwest of the Bradley Road and Curtis Road intersection into the City of Colorado Springs."

You can bubble in the choice of:

• For the Ordinance
• Against the Ordinance

KRDO13 has received numerous calls from viewers asking about the ballot measure, and who is funding the rampant advertising you may be seeing in person and online, or receiving by mail or text.

We set out to answer those questions by speaking to the Karman Line Developer group, as well as concerned city leaders, to find the truth that lies in-between about the many claims being made over the large-scale annexation.

What is the Karman Line Annexation?

Karman Line is a proposed annexation that, if passed, would extend city limits three miles eastward into El Paso County, towards Schriever Space Force Base. It is referred to as a "flagpole" annexation, due to its shape.

As seen in the image below, the annexation (in pink) extends out three miles from the current city limits, following Bradley Road, before then opening up into hundreds of acres of land that will be developed for housing and commercial spaces.

How We Got Here: Key Background Info

The Karman Line annexation has had a contentious history.

It was first passed by Colorado Springs City Council after a second vote in late-January of 2025, which saw farmers, first responders, water conservationists and local residents all express their concerns for extending the city limits out east.

It was then challenged by a group of dedicated petitioners, who were funded with $247,000 according to organizers behind the effort – which prompted the city council to revisit their decision.

The council either had to either strike the annexation down entirely, one that they had just approved, or put it onto a ballot measure for voters to decide.

On April 8, they voted 8 to 1 to put the question on a ballot measure in a Special Election, which was set for June 17th, 2025. The election will cost the city about $500,000 by its completion. The only person to vote no was Council President Pro Tem Brian Risley.

"Pro Family, Pro Military and Pro Water":

Since the annexation was put into the hands of voters, you may have started to see signs like the one below, on the sides of the road while driving around Colorado Springs.

You may also see this same messaging on a website that's been circulated, called ProtectYourNeighborhood.com.

The sign reads at the bottom that is paid for by "Stand Against Monopolies," which is openly funded by the developers for Karman Line.

One of the group's founding partners, Eli Bremer, tells KRDO13 that they're phrasing their advertising this way because they believe the annexation will use water responsibly, and will provide a new affordable housing option for the families of those working at Schriever Space Force Base.

Arguments around Water Usage:

Bremer explains that the annexation is "Pro Water" because it would facilitate the establishment of the Gary Bostrom Reservoir, which would border Karman Line and would benefit the city as a whole as the third largest body of water on the Front Range.

"They have signs that say this is pro water. Who is anti water, right? That doesn't even mean anything," Councilman Dave Donelson, who has voted against the annexation all three times it's been before council, said.

A mailer from the developers also advertises the ballot issue as such:

"As we head into the next ten, 15 years of our city's growth and maturity, then we're going to have the ability with this project to help support bringing in the Bostrom Reservoir, which won't just help Karman Line. It's going to store water that the city already owns," Bremer added.

However, Donelson, who is also the Colorado Springs Utility Board Chair, says that the reservoir is not a guaranteed addition whatsoever.

"That's up to Colorado Springs Utilities. That has nothing to do with what's on the ballot, that reservoir at the earliest probably happens in 20 years. It may never happen depending on how much additional water rights we get," Donaldson argued.

Bremer argues that the claims the city will be strapped for water are not true.

"According to Colorado Springs Utilities documents, I just reviewed them yesterday with a water rights expert, we have about 454,000 acre feet of water that we own." Bremer claimed. "We currently use about 70,000 acre feet. So it's about 7 to 8 times what we use that we have ownership of." Bremer argued, adding that we've used the same amount of water in city limits as in the 1980s.

CSU has publicly written about the latter claim about water usage since the 1980s. The claim about having 454,000 acre feet of water, however, hasn't been verified as of the writing of this article.

Bremer says that more conservation efforts and better infrastructure over the years has helped water usage stay well within reach, and that there should be no concerns about water availability, should Karman Line pass.

Arguments for Affordable Housing for Our Military:

You may have gotten text messages that have been sent out, reading in part like this:

"Hey, it's Ben Garland, former Denver Bronco, US Air Force Academy grad, and Karman Line partner! We’ve heard a lot of misinformation about who’s paying for utilities at Karman Line, whether Colorado Springs has enough water, and how much homes will cost. Let’s set the record straight. All this is publicly documented by INDEPENDENT sources."

It goes on to include a small paragraph about the price of homes.

The annexation, should it be approved, would then extend city boundaries within two miles of Schriever Space Force Base. Karman Line would create 6,500 housing units, comprised of multi-family, single family and ranch properties, as well as commercial space.

Bremer argues that housing would start for Junior Officers at $217,000, making it enticing for military families to settle down and stay in the area.

"The opposition is saying that homes start at $450,000. That's pure fiction," Bremer said, explaining that housing is critical to helping keep and draw in military personnel.

An economic study done through the city of Colorado Springs by an outside entity explains the different types of housing and their prices from a January 28th city council meeting. The report can be read here.

• Multi-family units -- Begin at $217,500
• Single-family attached properties -- Begin at $400,000
• Small lot single-family properties & mixed use/loft properties -- Begin at $500,000
• Traditional Suburban properties -- Begin at $650,000
• Estates -- Begin at $1.5 million
• Ranches with over 1 acre -- Begin at $2 million

Conversely, in a letter dated May 21, Colonel USSF Commander Kenneth Klock of Space Base Delta One – which represents Schriever, Peterson and Cheyenne Mountain – sent a letter to city leaders stressing the importance of the bases' integrity not being compromised by development.

You can read the full letter below:

At one point in the letter, Klock states, "Space Base Delta 1 does not aim to impede regional growth and cannot endorse specific developments. We are an essential part of the Pikes Peak Region, and our continued success depends on a thriving economy, strong infrastructure, and collaborative leadership."

He also explains that the bases were established in rural areas due "unique geographic advantages" such as, horizon-to-horizon satellite tracking, low electromagnetic interference and separation from dense urban development.

The Colonoel USSF Commander states that operations are sensitive to external factors, such as electromagnetic and radio frequency interference, horizon and physical obstruction, ambient noise and vibration, incompatible land use and zoning, environmental impact and cultural resources, and other forms of development encroachment.

He adds "if unaddressed, these potential threats may degrade operational effectiveness and jeopardize U.S. national security."

"That doesn't sound like two thumbs up, we're good with it, bring it on. It sounds like a warning to me." Donelson, who holds 20 years of Army experience himself, said.

Meanwhile, Bremer asserts that he had been a part of multiple meetings with previous leadership at Space Base Delta One, who have relayed to him the desire for more affordable housing.

"I've been in those meetings. There's been other meetings my partners have had, not just at the colonel level, but up to the four star level. I've talked to political and military leadership in Washington, D.C. This is not something that's been done in a vacuum," Bremer explained.

The Large Amount of Money Behind the Annexation:

Campaign finance reports show that there have been $670,000 dollars in contributions to the June 17 Special Election.

Reports show that $470,000 of that figure have been contributed to "Citizens to Stop Illogical Growth," which can be found under signage advertising against the annexation, as seen here:

The contributions are all made by one entity named "Defend Colorado". According to the Secretary of State's business organization search, Defend Colorado, is tied to a "West Group" law firm based in Denver, CO.

At this time, KRDO13 cannot source who is funding the money through "West Group," although Bremer claims it is from a monopolistic entity within El Paso County that doesn't want their annexation to be passed.

KRDO13 called the West Group and left a message.

The remaining $200,000 in contributions in the election were made out to "Stand Against Monopolies", through "Norris Ranch Joint Ventures" which is a development group tied to Kevin O'Neil, a founding member of the developer group behind Karman Line, which includes Bremer.

"We're being outspent about 3 to 1, and we're very transparent about that. We're spending to support the project that we believe in," stated Bremer.

Other Forms of Confusing Advertising:

Another ad that you may have seen come in your mail in recent weeks looks like this:

The mailer claims that the 'Norwood cartel' is costing the average citizen $2,100 due to cost of living prices. Norwood refers to a fellow developer in Colorado Springs who owns 85% of developable land in the city.

It also claims that Colorado Springs Utility customers will be footing the bill for a $400 million dollar infrastructure project, tied to Norwood's Banning Lewis Ranch property, which you may have heard of.

KRDO13 recently did a deep dive into this claim.

KRDO13 also asked if Bremer believed this was misleading or misguided messaging as to what the Special Election ballot is deciding. He stated emphatically it was not.

"It's the fundamental question: do we want to be a company town or do we want to be a citizen driven town?" Bremer said, adding that if residents vote Yes, they'll be sending a message to Norwood and the City Council.

Councilman Donelson disagrees.

"The proponents of Karman line know if they just put it on the ballot as an annexation of 1,900 acres, which is three square miles, three miles outside the city, it'll fail. So they're spinning it as a fight against a cartel. They have signs that say this is pro water," he said.

Registered voters within Colorado Springs city limits can drop off their ballots for the Special Election up until 7 p.m. on June 17.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story said that on April 8, council voted 7 to 2 to put the question on a ballot measure in a Special Election. This article has been edited to include the correct vote, which was 8 to 1. We apologize for our error.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.