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OCN > 2404 > El Paso County Planning Commission, March 7 and 21 – Highway 83 access plan approved

El Paso County Planning Commission, March 7 and 21 – Highway 83 access plan approved

By Helen Walklett

At the March 7 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Highway 83 Access Control Plan (ACP) and incorporate it into the county’s master plan. The commissioners also heard three land development requests for the Tri-Lakes area during March.

Highway 83 access plan

The ACP covers the stretch of Highway 83 from its junction with Powers Boulevard to County Line Road, a length of almost 10 miles. It is a long-range plan for 2045 and beyond aimed at improving safety and mobility. The county’s Department of Public Works, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the City of Colorado Springs worked together to develop the plan. CDOT led the work because it owns and maintains the corridor.

The Planning Commission previously received a presentation of the proposed plan at its Dec. 7 meeting. See www.ocn.me/v24n1.htm#wpcpc.

Arthur Gonzalez of CDOT told the commissioners that the only change since the December presentation had been the inclusion of an access based on an agreement between CDOT and an individual which had been omitted from the initial proposed plan. There are around 70 individual access points along this part of Highway 83 and most allow full movement, meaning there are no turn restrictions.

Future traffic volumes along this portion of the highway are expected to increase in the range of 17% to 86% by 2045. Without changes, this increase is expected to result in increased delays, congestion, pollution, and crashes. The plan is also intended to be a tool to help the county, the city, and CDOT make access decisions during development and redevelopment, and will streamline the access permitting process.

It was again stressed that the plan itself does not identify specific projects. Changes would only come if a problem with traffic flow or safety came to light, properties were developed or redeveloped along the corridor, or state or federal funding for a roadway project comes forward (none has been identified at present).

The plan was developed with public input, and Gonzalez said it addresses concerns raised by stakeholders. These include speeding, noise and number of large trucks, traffic volume overall, lack of turn lanes, safety around the newly constructed Stagecoach Road intersection, sight distance through curves, and a need for more traffic signals.

Speaking specifically to the new Stagecoach Road intersection, Jason Nelson of CDOT said he attended a meeting with some 200 residents facilitated by the HOA on the west side of the highway. The developer of Flying Horse North had made improvements on the east side, but it was clear that further improvements to the junction are needed. He said a task force with a consultant on board has been established and CDOT is looking for a location for a public open house. He said, “We have no funding to construct anything but at least we are back engaging and seeing what we can do.”

Following the commission’s approval, the intergovernmental agreement among the three partners will now go to the El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for signing.

Proposed Black Forest subdivision

Also at the March 7 meeting, the commissioners heard a request by the Jon Didleaux and Phyllis Didleau Revocable Trust for approval of a 32.168-acre minor subdivision to create four single-family lots and two tracts. The property is zoned RR-5 (residential rural) and is located at 8250 Forest Heights Circle east of Herring Road and north of Shoup Road. The proposed subdivision would be known as Forest Heights Estates.

In conformity with the zoning, all four proposed lots will be a minimum of 5 acres. Two are proposed to be larger at 7.6 acres and 12.10 acres and these would be located on the property’s south side near neighboring larger properties. The two smaller lots would be located adjacent to smaller lots to the property’s north and west.

Access to the lots is proposed to be via the existing private gravel road, Forest Heights Circle, which extends east from Herring Road and serves six existing family homes. The applicant’s letter of intent states that improvements would be made to this to enhance its accessibility.

The request was scheduled to be heard as a consent item but was elevated to a full hearing due to public interest. Four citizens spoke in opposition focusing on trail access, dedication of land for trail easements, the requested waivers pertaining to allowing a private rather than public road and not establishing an HOA, and the maintenance agreement for the private road. The commissioners stated that they felt the concerns were either not directly relevant to the review criteria or were not legally enforceable.

Speaking during the public comment section, Larry Fariss, a neighbor and previous long-term chair of the Black Forest Trails Association, described the property as a linchpin for the area’s trail system.

Chair Thomas Bailey commented, “There’s nothing that compels a property owner to grant an easement.” Dave Gorman, with M.V.E. Inc. and representing the applicant, said the family was not comfortable with having a public trail on their mother’s property.

The vote to recommend for approval was unanimous and the application was then heard at the BOCC land use meeting on March 28. See BOCC article on page 4.

Gleneagle minor subdivision

The commissioners voted unanimously on March 7 to recommend for approval a request by Aaron Atwood for a 5.04-acre minor subdivision to be known as Pair-A-Dise to create two single-family lots. The property is zoned RR-2.5 and is located on Struthers Loop, south of the junction of West Baptist Road and Leather Chaps Road. The site is currently vacant. The proposed lots would each slightly exceed 2.5 acres.

The application was heard as a consent item, meaning there was no discussion. It was then considered at the BOCC land use meeting on March 28. See BOCC article on page 4.

Vessey Road rezone

At their March 21 meeting, the commissioners voted to recommend for approval an application by Pawel Posorski for a rezoning of 6.02 acres from RR-5 (rural residential) to RR-2.5 (rural residential). The property is located at 6225 Vessey Road, a half-mile east of the intersection of Vessey Road and Neva Lane. A final plat application has also been submitted to create two lots from the parcel. This is under review and has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.

The application was heard as a consent item. Commissioner Christopher Whitney asked why the county’s report to the commission stated that the property was surrounded by “smaller lots, some 2.5 acres in size” when one of the included maps showed RR-5 zoning around it. Ashlyn Mathy, planner II, Planning and Community Development Department, explained that some lots were created before zoning was put in place and therefore do not meet the lot size set by the zoning. She added that there is RR-2.5 zoning east and west of the property. Bailey said, “I think this is an issue we see often, especially in this area. A lot of legal non-conforming lots. Perfectly legitimate but the zoning is different.” Whitney said, “I can’t say I’m happy, but I understand the answer.”

The vote to recommend the application for approval was 8-1. Whitney was the nay vote. He said, “The zoning should mean something, otherwise why put a number on it? Just call it large-lot residential and whatever it is, it is.” Offering an alternative view, Bailey asked, “I wonder though if the decision to zone this area RR-5 back when it was done, despite the fact that there were several 2.5-acre lots in that area, whether that was the right decision or not?”

It is now scheduled to be heard at the BOCC land use meeting on April 11.

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The El Paso County Planning Commission normally meets the first and (as required) the third Thursday of each month at the Regional Development Center, 2880 International Circle, Colo. Springs. Meetings are live-streamed on the El Paso County News and Information Channel at https://www.elpasoco.com/news-information-channel. Information is available at 719-520-6300 and https://planningdevelopment.elpasoco.com/planning-community-development/2024-hearings-schedule/.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County Planning Commission articles