NeighborWorks outlines Pikes Peak Park master plan, says it needs partners to finish infrastructure

NeighborWorks Southern Colorado told the Pueblo City Council on Monday that Pikes Peak Park is a fully master‑planned, 80‑acre mixed‑use project on the city’s West Side that includes 616 planned housing units, 15 acres of public parks and green space, commercial space and affordability mechanisms intended to keep at least half the units affordable.

Sandy Gutierrez, chief executive officer of NeighborWorks Southern Colorado, and Tamara Plaszek, director of real estate and community development, said the organization has invested roughly $8.5 million into land acquisition, planning and early infrastructure but still needs about $9 million to finish infrastructure for construction phases. Plaszek said NeighborWorks completed PUD zoning in March 2022, recorded the plat in April 2024 and has completed half of the phase‑1 water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure.

Why this matters: Pikes Peak Park is designed to provide for‑sale housing opportunities aimed at low‑ and middle‑income families and to add parks, trails and commercial amenities on the West Side, where speakers said there is a shortage of amenities and walkable neighborhood infrastructure.

Funding and timeline: Plaszek said about $3 million of the $8.5 million came from private foundation funding and the city provided $900,000 through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reimbursement, used for water, sewer and stormwater work on Sun Mountain Boulevard. She told the council that funding constraints at the federal level and among philanthropic funders have made it difficult for NeighborWorks to secure the remaining infrastructure money on its own.

As a result, NeighborWorks’ board recently decided to seek partners. Plaszek said the board laid out a six‑month process to identify and enter discovery talks with potential partners to secure roles, financial commitments and agreements needed to proceed. “We are not able to do this on our own,” she said, adding that the organization will stay the project’s steward and will select partners that meet affordability and programmatic goals.

Project details and goals: NeighborWorks described the project as including mixed‑income for‑sale homes, shared‑equity and sweat‑equity affordability tools, community buildings, connections to the regional trail system and a focus on health equity and walkability. Plaszek said the first phase is designed to be built in sub‑phases so construction can begin incrementally, but infrastructure and street paving are prerequisites for issuing certificates of occupancy on homes.

Council questions and city role: Council members asked whether the city is on NeighborWorks’ partner list; Plaszek said the city is being considered and that NeighborWorks has already discussed the project with city housing and development staff. Council members raised timing, whether partial funding could allow construction of initial blocks and the risk of delay; NeighborWorks said larger upfront infrastructure is costly and the project needs secured funding or commitments to proceed at scale.

Other items: NeighborWorks said it has tested shared‑equity models on a recent Hyde Park Gardens development and has sold units under those programs. Plaszek said average sale prices in Pueblo were roughly $320,000–$325,000 at the time of discussion, but she did not give a final sales price for future homes in Pikes Peak Park, saying affordability will depend on household income and use of shared‑equity tools.

What they will do next: NeighborWorks’ staff and board said they will move through partner identification and discovery over the next six months and return to the city with partnership materials and proposals. The organization said it will remain the project sponsor and will select partners to meet affordability and implementation requirements.