Businesses weigh in on planned downtown Colorado Springs sports venues

Two brand new sports and entertainment venues are set to be built downtown. 

The announcement was made Wednesday the Switchbacks Soccer stadium and the Colorado College Hockey Arena will be the newest additions to the City for Champions project. 

Businesses in the downtown Colorado Springs area are excited. 

"I think it's going to be a big plus," Andy Schlesinger, co-owner of The Coffee Exchange said. 

The Switchbacks Stadium will be just a couple blocks away and Schlesinger said he's gearing up for a renovation of his own. 

"We're going to be done with all that and then we get that stadium with all these people coming downtown, it's going to be amazing," Schlesinger said. 

A few blocks north, Terra Verde assistant manager, Carrie Baker will be a little closer to the Robson Arena to be built on Colorado College's campus. 

"My heart and soul is in downtown and I think any kind of growth is awesome for downtown," Baker said. 

While businesses see the positives of the new developments, they still see a couple negatives, like parking. 

"I hope that the city planners are keeping that in mind and thinking about what they're going to do because it's already getting harder," Schlesinger said. 

Old Town Bike Shop owner, John Crandall, is worried about what affordable housing will look like near the stadium. 

"There's some really charming small houses there and we don't have a lot of them anymore," Crandall said. 

Mayor John Suthers addressed the expected boom in the nearby area at the announcement. 

"Frankly, I think the surrounding land here will become very valuable, and people will have to make decisions about whether they want to remain in single-family homes or sell," Suthers said.