Controversial plan for new Kettle Creek subdivision rejected in final vote by Colorado Springs City Council

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- UPDATE: At the end of a meeting that didn't finish until just before 11 p.m. Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to uphold an appeal from neighbors to reject the proposed Kettle Creek North development.

Councilman Mike O'Malley was excused from the vote.

The proposal had been unresolved for several years; last month, the city's planning commission -- after rejecting the proposal two years ago, leading to an appeal by the developer -- approved it by a 4-2 vote.

The proposal's ongoing source of concern was the lack of a secondary evacuation route; the Colorado Department of Transportation previously said that it would not build a road that would connect to Powers Boulevard and serve as a route.

Several Council members said that they wanted to see the nearly 250 homes built to help meet the area's housing demand, and suggested that they might reconsider the proposal if they can influence CDOT to change its mind.

There was no word on whether the developer would re-submit another proposal next year, or appeal the Council's decision in court.

(PREVIOUS STORY -- JULY 13, 2021)

A proposed 247-unit housing development on the city's northeast side depended on a key vote expected Tuesday by the City Council.

The Kettle Creek North development -- to be located north of the intersection of Thunder Mountain Avenue and Old Ranch Road -- is endorsed by city staff but was rejected by the Planning Commission in May, which led to the council hearing an appeal of that decision.

Planning commissioners rejected the development because of concerns from adjacent neighbors regarding traffic and the lack of a second wildfire evacuation route.

The council began discussing the appeal around 2:30 p.m. Members heard presentations from both sides and public comment.

Just before 7 p.m., the council voted on whether to approve the development if six concessions from the developer were met -- including the construction of a new fire station in the area, not allowing the new homes to be occupied until the station opens, and the creation of a second evacuation route.

That vote failed by a 5-4 margin.

Councilman Dave Donelson then suggested that the matter be sent back to the Planning Commission for a second time, to have commissioners consider the developer's concessions. That passed by an 8-1 margin, with Councilman Mike O'Malley casting the lone opposing vote.

"We're hopeful that we can get it back to the commissioners of the Planning Commission," said Greg Edwards, who's part of the homeowners' association for the adjacent neighborhood. "They seem to be reasonable and open to the fact that safety comes first."

Developer Dean Venezia said that he remains hopeful despite pushing for his project for the past year.

"We still have a little bit of work to do, and we've been listening to the neighbors," he said. "We hope that bringing this new information to the Planning Commission that they didn't hear the first time, we'll get a favorable outcome."

Council members also have a similar decision in the near future, regarding a proposed development at the intersection of 30th Street and Garden of the Gods Road.

In another matter that took most of the morning, the council voted to assess fees of $55,000 to Douglas Bruce, a former El Paso County commissioner and state lawmaker, regarding a house he formerly owned at 1326 West Kiowa Street.

The city considered the vacant home a dangerous building because of its unfinished condition and the presence of asbestos. The bill includes the cost of demolishing the home and removing the asbestos.

Bruce said that he once owned the home and intended to sell it to someone who could make improvements to it, but he tried to reacquire the home after the new owner ran out of money.

That owner, Bruce said, should be responsible for the costs; Bruce added that he was never told or given advance notice that the home would be demolished.

City staff and the Regional Building Department, however, said that Bruce never submitted a plan to complete improvements to the home.

The council voted 6-2 to make Bruce responsible for paying the bill.