Listening Tour Wrap Up
This is the Infrastructure Wrap Up Report. Each report includes the following sections:
- “What we heard” - A summary of the key themes heard during the tour and a comprehensive list of feedback received.
- “What we are doing” - A summary of the work the City is currently doing to address the feedback that was shared.
- “What we are planning to do” - This section highlights specific goals and strategies to be implemented in 2024 as part of our Strategic Doing Framework. These are short-term priorities that we feel we can meaningfully address this year.
- “How to get involved” - This section showcases various ways you can learn more about specific topics, continue shaping policy, and get involved to stay engaged in all that is happening in the city.
To see the other areas of feedback we received, please return to the Wrap-Up homepage.
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What we heard
During the Listening Tour, we heard feedback from you on infrastructure issues such as:
- Requests for better public and multi-modal transportation services
- Roadway concerns and east to west transit corridors
- Sidewalks and streetscapes
- Redevelopment of Monument Creek
- Cleaner parks and trailheads
- Desire to increase the parks budget
- Improved lighting in parks and at trailhead parking areas
- The City Auditorium
- Smart growth
- Infrastructure around new development
- Infill development
- Apartment buildings
- Public process for review of developments
What we are doing
Public Works
Requests for better public and multi-modal transportation services
- MMT perpetually analyzes routes that are performing well and those that might have less ridership.
- We use this date to prioritize new routes- for example, Route 20 was added October 1, 2023, because other routes in the area were performing very well and warranted additional capacity. We start by increasing frequency of well-performing routes, and then look at adding additional routes.
- We also analyze ridership data and costs for utilizing smaller buses. We are always seeking the best methods to use taxpayer dollars to fund public transportation as effectively as possible.
- This past summer we implemented “Zero Fare for Better Air” in a State of Colorado Grant. From June to August, we saw over one million riders take advantage of zero fares. We set two all-time records during July and August, with August being our highest monthly ridership to date.
- Seniors pay a half-rate for their fares, and we have a senior outreach program to bring awareness to seniors of this program.
- All City buses are clean-burning diesel buses. We have ordered six new hybrid electric buses that should be in operation by the end of 2024. We received the largest grant in the state, totaling more than $3 million, to buy the buses. We also have four battery-powered buses in service.
- With any new land development or City project, we look for opportunities to add as many modes of transportation as possible and offer transportation solutions to as many users as possible.
Roadway concerns and east to west transit corridors
- Planning for the Powers Boulevard extension is actively occurring.
- We continue to move forward on building the Voyager Parkway bridge over Powers Boulevard. Our first preconstruction meeting was held Oct. 30, 2023.
- Engineering for the segment between Voyager Parkway to Interquest Parkway is already at the 30% level and we will be moving forward with additional construction anticipated to start in 2025.
- We are actively working on widening Marksheffel Road between N. Carefree and Woodmen before Pikes Peak Rural Transit Authority funds become available to address operational and safety concerns.
- We have developed a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan to advance Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority projects such as Dublin Blvd., Nevada Ave., Fillmore St. Bridge.
- We have also developed a comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Plan to address maintenance and capital issues on 459 bridges throughout the city.
- Powers Boulevard serves as an eastern north to south route that can distribute to a variety of east to west routes. Further development of mid-city east to west routes is not viable so using main north to south routes provide options to distribute the traffic.
Sidewalks and streetscapes
- The City requires sidewalks, shared use paths, and connections to regional trails with all new developments and capital projects, as well as street crossing sections.
- During road maintenance activities such as 2C and Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, the City addresses sidewalk and ramp accessibility issues, including a “missing sidewalk” program to fill in gaps in the sidewalk network throughout the City.
- The City is expanding the School Crossing Program by adding 21 additional schools to the program to ensure students are safe while crossing streets near their schools.
Redevelopment of Monument Creek
- We have already submitted applications seeking funding through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Senator Hickenlooper included it as an insert to the 2024 Water Resources Congressional Bill. We are hopeful that this project can come to fruition in coming years.
Public Works continues to address high-priority infrastructure issues facing the City, such as improving public and multi-modal transportation options, continue advancing stormwater quality, developing and executing on our long-range plans for key corridors, and investing in the maintenance of our entire roadway system.
-Gayle Sturdivant, Acting Director of Public Works
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
Cleaner parks and trailheads
- The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department anticipates that the new urban ranger team will contribute to earlier identification of and response to encampments developing on park and trail properties. By coordinating with other city departments and providing more robust enforcement of our city ordinances, it is anticipated that rapid clean-up from homeless activities will be completed, the damage and trash left behind will be reduced, more people will be directed to the best places for treatment and assistance, and the parks and trails will be safer overall.
Desire to increase the parks budget
- Due to recent budget cuts this year across every department, an increase in the parks budget won’t come in the next year. However, we continue to be creative in how we fund many of our projects:
- One area that has yielded successful results this year is coordination with other city departments on projects of mutual benefit. Just this year the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department benefited from $510,000 of fire mitigation work at the Fishers Canyon Open Space property.
- In April 2023, 78% of voters supported a 20-year extension of the Trails, Open Space and Parks sales tax, which was first approved in 1997. The sales tax proceeds are deposited into a special dedicated account for acquisition, conservation, and maintenance of our trails, parks and open space lands, and has played a pivotal role in supplementing the Parks budget.
- The City’s tourism tax, also known as the Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART), has supported capital improvement projects for parks assets that experience a high volume of tourists, such as Garden of the Gods Park. We continue to look for opportunities to leverage this funding source to ensure our parks, trails, and open spaces serve both residents and tourists well.
Improved lighting in parks and at trailhead parking areas
- The department has incorporated lighting into the design of our larger park projects because it improves safety and allows our park users to extend their time at the park. Examples include the design of Panorama Park in the Southeast, John Venezia Community Park in the North, and lighting upgrades to the pickleball courts in Monument Valley Park downtown.
- The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department teamed up with our Police Department and Colorado Springs Utilities to apply for a criminal justice department grant for urban design. This partnership resulted in $1.8 million in new funding to invest in enhanced safety at the city’s popular Memorial Park. The funding supported increased lighting, security cameras and gates to secure the park after park hours.
The City Auditorium
- The City is currently facilitating a Solutions Team process for the City Auditorium, consisting of a team of community leaders with experience in the business and entertainment sector. This process is designed to identify options that have not been previously identified or partnerships that could restore the City Auditorium to its prior place in the event venue setting or identify a new path forward for the historic building.
As a part of the City’s ongoing commitment to improving public safety and to providing safe recreational opportunities for all its citizens, we made significant safety improvements to Memorial Park. By teaming up with the Colorado Springs Police Department and Colorado Springs Utilities, we received $1.8 million in new funding to invest in increased lighting, security cameras and gates to close after park hours. We also incorporated lighting at Panorama Park, John Venezia Community Park, and Monument Valley Park for improved safety and extended use for park visitors.
– Britt Haley, Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
Planning and Neighborhood Services
Smart growth, infill development, and apartment buildings
- The City has recently developed several citywide planning initiatives to update strategies and goals for how Colorado Springs grows. This includes:
- PlanCOS: The City’s comprehensive plan, adopted in 2019, which guides how the City plans for future growth, policy, and investment.
- ReToolCOS: An update to the Unified Development Code, which was adopted Feb. 2023
- Community Plans: As part of the City’s goal to ensure development reflects unique characteristics of neighborhoods, the City has launched two Community Plan efforts – Southeast Strong and Greater Westside.
- AnnexCOS: This plan, which will officially launch in 2024, will provide an update to how the City approaches annexations, including potential for development and what type, and the infrastructure needs of property along the existing City boundary.
Infrastructure around new development
- As part of updates to the Unified Development Code, the City updated its Citywide Development Impact fees, which hadn’t been updated since the 1990s. This update more than doubled the fees developers paid in police and fire impact fees for single-family housing, commercial, and multi-family housing to ensure public safety is keeping up with development.
- In 2021, the City also updated its Parkland Development Ordinance, which updated the acreage developers must provide for residential neighborhoods and increased the fees they must pay for the City to purchase parkland. This was the first major update since the 1970s.
Public process for review of developments
- City Planning sent approximately 46,000 postcards to residents in 2023 to ensure residents were aware of development projects in their neighborhood and how they could share their comments on the project with City staff and appointed and elected officials such as the Planning Commission and Colorado Springs City Council.
- City Planning continues to prioritize public participation and community engagement to help ensure residents have a voice in the development review process. We are currently updating many of our outreach and education materials, including postcards, videos, and signage to ensure residents are more aware.
When considering smart growth, we must balance development and redevelopment within existing city limits to utilize existing infrastructure and services, with the understanding that outward expansion is necessary to accommodate growth not just in Colorado Springs but also in the Pikes Peak Region. The City has positioned itself to do both. Through robust public and stakeholder engagement, the City has adopted long-range planning policies to prepare us for the future as we mature as a city.
-Peter Wysocki, Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services
What we are planning to do
The City is striving toward a future where community members understand and appreciate the City’s infrastructure and how it enhances the quality of their lives, while making the best use of taxpayer dollars. As Colorado Springs continues to grow both in population and geography, the City must prepare and invest in core public infrastructure to meet the demands of the future, while improving the overall condition of existing assets.
Explore and implement “Smart Growth” policies.
- Work with City Council to develop, complete and approve annexation master plan (AnnexCOS).
- Develop and implement guidelines for annexation review.
- Implement land use policies that support infill, redevelopment, and adaptive reuse of properties within existing developed areas of the City.
Reform the Lodger’s and Automobile Rental Tax (LART).
- Launch LART Solutions Team and stakeholder engagement in partnership with City Council.
Enhance and expand mass transit and multi-modal transportation options.
- Continue to aggressively pursue State and Federal grant opportunities.
- Develop plan to fund replacement vehicles and continue zero emission fleet diversification pilot integrations.
- Explore the enhancement and expansion of efficient bus routes.
Preserve, enhance, and upgrade aging City facilities.
- Begin implementing the City Facilities Master Plan.
- Evaluate and implement City Auditorium Solutions Team recommendations.
Pursue funding to support roadway and park improvements and maintenance.
- Work with City Council to ensure 2C is on the ballot for November 2024.
- Produce public facing reports on capital transportation projects.
- Explore additional funding options for critical park maintenance.
Initiate the activation of our waterways.
- Leverage grants and private partnership opportunities to fund CreekCOS vision.
- Initiate inaugural CreekCOS project and solidify vision tenets.
- Explore and develop programmatic delivery approach for Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) funding considered by congress.
Get involved with Infrastructure
Report infrastructure issues with GoCOS!
- Potholes in your neighborhood? Traffic light malfunctioning? Damaged sidewalk? Publicly owned tree needing attention? Public Works wants to know about it! Report it with the GoCOS! app so we can see what you see and work to get it repaired.
Plan your trip with Mountain Metro Transit
- Download the RideMMT app - you can easily plan your next bus trip across Colorado Springs and Manitou using the RideMMT app and can even use the newly launched “Tap and Go” payment system for fares.
Learn more about infrastructure projects in your City
- Infrastructure upgrades and changes are a constant presence in our community. Learn more about them through EngageCOS!, which can connect you to the project team, FAQs, info about public meetings, and more.
Check out the Cone Zone Map
- We want your trip home to be as smooth as possible. Our Cone Zone Map (which connects to the Waze app) can help you design your route around work zones.
Sign up for the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services newsletter
- Subscribe to weekly updates from the City of Colorado Springs and monthly updates from Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services.
Adopt a park or trail
- Take an active role in contributing to the beautification of our parks and trails by adopting one! The program is open to individuals or groups, including families, businesses, faith groups, neighborhood associations, youth groups, schools, and scouts.
Volunteer for a parks program or a project
- The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department offers a wide variety of volunteer services throughout the community. Volunteers can help keep City parks and trails clean, or find a program, event, or partner organization to make a difference.
Participate in youth and adult sports
- The City has a variety of youth and adult sports for you to meet other people and get involved, including:
- Youth soccer, football, t-ball, softball, baseball, boxing, judo, golf, lacrosse, and tennis
- Adult basketball, flag football, softball, and volleyball
Join a parks advisory board or working committee
- Apply to be a Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board member
- Apply to be a Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) Working Committee member
- Apply to be a member of the Westside Community Center Working Committee
Attend a City Planning Commission or City Council meeting
- The Planning Commission reviews various development applications and proposals, some of which are later reviewed by City Council. You can find information on agendas, meeting times, and minutes on the City’s website.
Participate in CONO Neighborhood Network Boards
- Join a CONO Neighborhood Network Board to ensure neighborhood voices are heard and community values are shared.