Planning commission backs Sun Mountain Townhomes rezoning and development plan, adds condition limiting apartments

Colorado Springs Planning Commission members on Jan. 8 recommended approval to City Council of a zone change and a development plan for the Sun Mountain (Uinta) Townhomes at 520 North 20th Street, after extended presentations and public comment from neighbors concerned about geology, buffers and alley access.

The commission voted to recommend changing 2.22 acres from R-2 (two-family residential) to R-Flex Medium and approved the Sun Mountain Townhomes development plan. The commission attached a condition on the rezoning limiting future use on the site so that five or more attached units or apartments would not be permitted in the R-Flex Medium district; the development-plan approval passed the commission on a 6-1 vote.

Why it matters: The project is an infill redevelopment of a long-vacant platted block in the Westside area that proposes 26 for-sale townhome units in a mix of six four-unit buildings and one duplex. Neighbors and nearby property owners said the proposal could reduce setbacks, increase hazard risk from slope and drainage work, and change the function of an existing alley. City staff and consultants argued the plan meets current Unified Development Code criteria, addresses drainage and fire access, and represents a lower-density alternative to an earlier apartment proposal for the site.

Staff presentation and applicant proposals Gabe Savigny, planning supervisor for the city, told commissioners that the application comprises a zoning map amendment (ZONEDASH24-0014) and a development plan (DEPN-DASH24-0111) for 2.22–2.52 acres at 520 North 20th Street. Savigny said staff found the application met applicable UDC review criteria and that the development plan, if…