Council approves use variance for large child-care program at former Garden Ranch YMCA

Colorado Springs City Council voted 8-0 on June 10 to approve a use variance allowing a large child-daycare center to operate at 2380 Montebello Drive West, the former Garden Ranch YMCA now owned by Revolution Church.

City planning staff described the site as a 4.83-acre property in a single-family estate (RE) zone where a conditional child-care use had existed when the YMCA operated on the site but expired after the use discontinued. Molly O’Brien, planner II with the City Planning Department, told council the applicant sought a use variance to resume a child-care center large use co-located within the existing religious institution and that the planning commission recommended approval 7-0 following public notice. O’Brien said staff received one comment in support and two in opposition during the initial review and that traffic engineering determined a traffic impact study was not required.

Kevin Ross, a board member and elder with Revolution Church and the applicant representative, told council the proposal would use existing interior spaces and the adjacent Garden Ranch Park for outdoor activity. “Only 30 children will be outside at any one time and they’ll be under at least two adult supervisors,” Ross said, adding the program would stage staggered pickup and drop-off times to limit traffic impacts. Ross said the church and the non-profit childcare provider propose a maximum enrollment of 150 elementary‑age children, after‑school care during the school year and full‑day summer camp hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). He said the facility is 56,000 square feet and the proposed childcare area is about 7,100 square feet; on‑site parking exceeds the use requirement.

Council members who spoke during the hearing framed the decision in terms of neighborhood need and reuse of an underutilized facility. Councilman Bailey said repurposing the former YMCA to serve children made “perfect sense,” noting the site's history of recreation and youth programming. Councilman Rizzoli, who said he had been involved with the YMCA board when the facility closed, praised the applicant for investing in and revitalizing the building. Councilman Donaldson pressed the applicant on licensing and service area questions; Ross and staff said state licensing (Department of Early Childhood) and city review will both apply and that the applicant meets minimum square‑footage requirements for licensing.

The council’s action grants a use variance under Unified Development Code criteria and allows the applicant to proceed with the State Department of Early Childhood licensure and any city permitting required for state‑mandated improvements. The motion to approve was made by Councilman Lineweber and seconded by Kimberly Gold; the council voted 8-0.

The approved variance restores a use that had been in place when the YMCA operated at the site but had lapsed after the facility's closure; the applicant says the program is intended to serve families across District 11 and to fill gaps in after‑school and evening childcare availability. City staff noted that events of 50 or more people using the adjacent park will require a city events permit and that the applicant acknowledged that requirement.