[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6344179,"mediaKeyId","2251108-8d45096a1af3ba6dc95716f92d86e0cc","parentId",2251108,"title","Downtown Review Board approves 1 Vela 27‑story mixed‑use tower after large public response","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2998000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2251108-8d45096a1af3ba6dc95716f92d86e0cc&start=2998&end=2998","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2251108-8d45096a1af3ba6dc95716f92d86e0cc/thumbnail_2998000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6344179/Colorado-Springs-City/El-Paso-County/Colorado/Downtown-Review-Board-approves-1-Vela-27story-mixeduse-tower-after-large-public-response","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344179-d3570695cf4e564082d5f60080439944/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193477&Signature=JmcngSJn39mG9LasRdUekOyehBico5fLXOyJHXxiJdf3k10lVc9gyE9bEQQEs0HGRJKWS4crZM5DvcQhcHqUehgzEJtdO0XkTHyZOlemXVARzMDp61MIB9NdyTFv2I5-SdAQc7ROpDMWmzAnkW9LqgYzUoai~Rns0~AcpdwuytP19vh~7wBQd3uXgDy3QibqgND6R7LrVroYYqtuQqBGNTl-M4uT0UHX9Gm5o1~cSVxDB0T75tN5H95MIik6BFFMMM~W6dnKbb2WoaJ~5zc88QiCyW9vOmeOrg6vwghhxEYBkl~aw--FshZUiNpKo57CI~JK-83m3ixGZIV2fMMbzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado Springs","date","2025-02-04T00:00:00Z","article","The Downtown Review Board voted unanimously Feb. 4 to approve a form‑based zone development plan for 1 Vela, a proposed 27‑story mixed‑use tower on the northeast corner of Sawatch Street and West Castilla in downtown Colorado Springs. The project was referred to the board for public review even though form‑based applications can be administratively approved.

Ryan Tiefertiller, urban planning manager, told the board the development plan proposes roughly 400 multifamily units with about 8,300 square feet of street‑level commercial, approximately 460 structured parking stalls and a range of resident amenities. “This building will be the tallest within the city,” Ryan said during his presentation, estimating the tower’s top at roughly 300–312 feet above average grade and noting the site sits at a lower elevation than existing downtown towers.

The O’Neil Group and Vela Development Partners presented the project. Andy Merritt, chief strategy officer for the O’Neil Group, said the developer’s aim is to provide a housing product that attracts workforce for local technology and defense firms, arguing the scale and amenity set of the project are necessary to deliver that product. Nick Benjamin of Vela and lead architect Frank Andre described an active street‑level base, screened podium parking, and sculptural tower massing with setbacks to reduce perceived bulk. The developer presented examples of similar projects and showed renderings of street activation, landscaping and resident amenity terraces.

Staff summarized public outreach: initial mailed notice to property owners within 1,000 feet (about 60 postcards), posted site notices, and extensive written input in the 48 hours before the hearing — the staff packet included roughly 16 emails initially and an additional two dozen the morning of the meeting plus a stakeholder spreadsheet that the applicants’ opponents reported contained 450+ comments; staff said many of the late comments were near‑identical template emails. The Downtown Partnership submitted a letter of support included in the packet.

Supporters who spoke included Jill Gabler, executive director of Pikes Peak Housing Network, who said the project’s 40 rent‑restricted units (10% of 400) represent a valuable contribution of attainable housing and that downtown needs a broader range of housing products. Chelsea Gondek, director of planning and mobility for the Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership, spoke in support and described the project as consistent with the Downtown Master Plan’s goals to create density and street‑level activation.

Opponents argued the project should be delayed or reduced in height. Speakers including Diane Bridges of the Historic Neighborhoods Partnership and Dana Dugan of Integrity Matters cited a petition they said had more than 6,700 signatures seeking limits on downtown building heights and asked the city to pursue broader public engagement prior to approving unusually tall towers. Several opponents said the project would “penetrate” the skyline and urged waiting for a public vote or broader policy discussion; others raised concerns about traffic, fire safety and affordability.

Jeriah Walker, executive director of the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority, said the Urban Renewal Authority negotiated an inclusion of 10% rent‑restricted units at up to 100% of regional AMI for 25 years as part of URA negotiations and that the URA process requires review by affected taxing entities. Ryan noted several technical modifications listed in the staff report — mainly drainage, utility, notation and plan cleanup items — that staff and the applicant would resolve in follow‑up resubmittals; staff said reviewers from stormwater, utilities and fire saw no unresolved issues that would block final approval.

After board discussion about glazing, podium treatment, view corridors and public benefits, Board member Sam moved to approve the development plan with the staff‑listed technical modifications; Board member Nadine seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The board’s action is appealable to city council by an affected party within 10 days (appeal deadline and fee noted by staff).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Colorado Springs City Downtown Review Board on 2025-02-04","oneSentenceSummary","On Feb. 4 the Downtown Review Board voted unanimously to approve the 1 Vela form‑based zone development plan for a 27‑story, ~311‑foot mixed‑use building at the northeast corner of Sawatch and W. Castilla, with about 400 apartments, roughly 8,300 sq ft of street‑level commercial, 460 parking stalls and 10% of units rent‑restricted for 25 years.","taxTitle","Colorado Springs City, El Paso County, Colorado","taxId",5791,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6344184,"Downtown Review Board approves Trainwreck outdoor service bar warrant despite frontage concerns",1958,491000,2449000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2251108-8d45096a1af3ba6dc95716f92d86e0cc&start=491&end=2449","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2251108-8d45096a1af3ba6dc95716f92d86e0cc/thumbnail_491000.jpg","/articles/6344184/Colorado-Springs-City/El-Paso-County/Colorado/Downtown-Review-Board-approves-Trainwreck-outdoor-service-bar-warrant-despite-frontage-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344184-05947ac7c8654fd7cf82d1a031dee005/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193477&Signature=XpsFUUHaTbQrLoHmjWML4IC98RGSBnKJOBYMQ-nSJ2S-sD1fnflXDNI0AhYzsTjW9lJdQyKA~~dnE0daePquxX0k32VtQuq94SKRZHQqSqAiBQaSceXXSNwIzWFI~Sv~qhKA29ylQI0DiLXFwdc9Xnf92imt0j264htPbBVc5LrLLTOp~re8M5Rl~AWL2b~zvM9IfhNLuhhMh1ymS5B03KUxyDD5sSwYey~jHXjRZGbLU9Yn~xexDy7JgjjvJJjU6YBWO9d0g1JRX3Oejw8xhM8eOo6tDqiZ~P6q-p64WJbEIRqfY0hlPJVTdD~zNZt35iBsC-sDF7uiHIKHDVe6uQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Downtown Review Board voted unanimously Feb. 4 to approve a warrant and a minor improvement plan allowing Trainwreck to install an approximately 320‑square‑foot, 11‑foot‑tall outdoor service bar at 812 South Sierra Madre Street in the FBZ‑T2 (form‑based zone transit transition sector 2).

City planner Bill Gray, who presented the staff analysis, said staff concluded the proposal “did not meet the approval criteria for a warrant” because the proposed street‑facing bar and adjacent existing elements would create an opaque stretch of frontage that reduced glazing and visual openness the form‑based code intends to promote. Gray said staff found the project complies with Plan COS — the city’s comprehensive plan — but does not comply with the Experience Downtown Master Plan’s emphasis on “a very friendly, open public realm.”

The applicant, represented by Bobby Hill of Bobby Hill Designs, told the board the structure is primarily a service bar to support backyard events and interior operations and to avoid taking away patron space in the open yard. “This is a service bar. It’ll have beer, soft drinks, things like that…to ease the service staff and accessibility to work in the backyard,” Hill said, adding that the owner intends a mural as the street‑facing treatment and that the mural would be done by artists who painted the interior.

Public comment was limited: staff mailed 140 postcards and posted two notices; the city received two written comments before the hearing (including a recommendation from the Downtown Partnership to relocate the bar off the street frontage) and a later emailed comment from the nearby tiny‑house community expressing concern about noise and disorderly behavior. Gray said staff discussed alternatives with the applicant, including locating the bar away from the street frontage or adding additional transparent glazing or material changes to increase visual interest.

Board members asked about alternatives such as moving the trash enclosure and about the cumulative effect of fences, transformer cabinets and the new bar on Los Animas Street. Bobby Hill said the trash enclosure and transformer location constrain where the service bar can be placed and that moving the bar to the back would impede operations and reduce patron space. Several board members said they thought the mural and proposed design reduced the visual harm compared with other opaque materials and that the site has a substantial amount of open yard.

Board member Nadine moved to approve the warrant and the minor improvement plan; Board member Sam seconded. Melissa recorded the vote and the motion passed unanimously.

The board’s approval allows the applicant to proceed with the minor improvement plan as conditioned by the warrant approval; staff had presented approval and denial motions to the board and noted the warrant must be granted for the minor plan to move forward. No appeal or further action on this item was announced at the hearing.","On Feb. 4 the Downtown Review Board unanimously approved a warrant and minor improvement plan allowing a roughly 320‑square‑foot outdoor service bar at Trainwreck, 812 S. Sierra Madre St., after staff raised form‑based code frontage concerns and the applicant emphasized operational needs.","actionData","errors"]

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Downtown Review Board approves 1 Vela 27‑story mixed‑use tower after large public response

Downtown Review Board approves Trainwreck outdoor service bar warrant despite frontage concerns