Colorado Springs council upholds approval of 1 Vela high‑rise after appeal

Colorado Springs City Council on 2025-02-13 denied an appeal filed by Diane Bridges and upheld the Downtown Review Board’s approval of the 1 Vela form‑based zone development plan, allowing the developer to proceed toward permitting for a 27‑story mixed‑use tower at the northeast corner of Costilla and Sawatch.

The appeal, filed Feb. 13, 2025, focused on building height, neighborhood input and the project’s precedent for future downtown development. Council deliberations on the special‑session appeal centered on whether the form‑based code’s lack of a numeric height cap allowed a project that opponents said would alter the city skyline and set a new precedent for downtown towers.

City planning manager Ryan Tiefertiller told council staff had reviewed the application under the Downtown Colorado Springs form‑based code and related planning documents and concluded the proposal conforms with the quantifiable standards of the code. "Applications within the form based zone that adhere to all quantifiable standards of the zone can be and are regularly approved administratively," Tiefertiller said during his presentation, noting staff referred the item to the Downtown Review Board because of significant stakeholder interest.

The 1 Vela proposal, as presented to council, calls for about 400 residential units, roughly 10% (40 units) designated as…