Board approves Flying Horse East Phase 1 sketch plan after lengthy Schriever discussion; vote 4–1

The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners voted 4–1 on Aug. 21 to approve the Flying Horse East Phase 1 sketch plan, a high‑level concept for about 1,821.3 acres south of Highway 94 that staff and the applicant say could support a range of residential, commercial and institutional uses.

What the board approved: The sketch plan is conceptual and shows a development footprint including roughly 818 acres of residential uses, about 31 acres of commercial land, nearly 90 acres planned for institutional uses (including potential school sites), 521 acres labeled as mixed‑use, nearly 97 acres of stormwater detention and roughly 186 acres reserved for preservation of a natural floodway corridor. The applicant’s submitted materials list a theoretical maximum development potential across the sketch area of up to 4,973 dwelling units and a gross density of about six dwelling units per acre; staff and the applicant emphasized that these figures are conceptual maxima that would be refined in later zoning, preliminary‑plan and final‑plat stages.

Schriever Space Force Base engagement: The hearing featured extensive, substantive testimony from Schriever Space Force Base leadership, who described operational concerns and asked for a formal compatibility study. Base leaders (including the installation commander and senior staff) outlined four principal risk areas they want studied before future approvals: potential obstruction of ground‑station antenna look‑angles, radio frequency/electromagnetic interference risks, cyber and critical‑infrastructure vulnerabilities tied to utility interconnections, and visual/surveillance risks including illicit drone operations that could have national security implications. Schriever officials said a Space Operations Installation Compatibility Use Zone (SOICUZ) study is being prepared at higher headquarters and urged the county and the developer to partner in completing a local compatibility study; the Space Force representatives said an updated policy was being coordinated in Washington with an expected near‑term publication.

Applicant and staff response: County staff presented planning, drainage and transportation highlights, noting the site straddles several drainage basins and that a master drainage plan and a master traffic impact study were submitted with the sketch plan. The applicant’s consultants presented a master traffic analysis showing potential mid‑term and long‑term capacity issues on State Highway 94 and Enoch Road and identifying potential mitigation and signal needs if development proceeds. Traffic consultants said their master study had been coordinated with CDOT and county engineering and that mitigation packages would be evaluated as specific preliminary plans are filed. Applicant representatives said they had met with base personnel after the planning commission hearing, offered to include a notation in the record acknowledging the 1990 land exchange/conditional easement language that constrains development near the base, and committed to continue coordination as the project advances.

Public testimony and concerns: The hearing included public testimony both supporting responsible development (including a statement from the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC urging timely clarity for workforce housing) and cautionary remarks from veterans and defense advocates urging protection of base buffers and active engagement on national security compatibility. Several commissioners voiced concern about future road capacity on Highway 94 and Enoch Road and the need to align funding and timing of corridor improvements with development.

Vote and next steps: On a motion to approve the sketch plan the board voted 4–1 (Commissioner Wysong voted no; Commissioners Nelson, Applegate, Vice Chair Williams and Chair Geithner voted yes). Commissioners said approval does not authorize construction; it allows the project to proceed to the next phases: zoning/preliminary‑plan submittals, detailed drainage and traffic studies, and the eventual final plat and construction approvals. Several commissioners requested that the applicant continue parallel coordination with Schriever and that the county track the SOICUZ work and any federal guidance as it becomes available.