CSU Pueblo presents conceptual campus-adjacent development plan; seeks public-financing tools for infrastructure

Colorado State University Pueblo and a private development team presented a conceptual redevelopment plan for parcels around the CSU Pueblo campus and described potential public-financing tools to pay for horizontal infrastructure.

Garrison Ortiz, vice president of university operations, and Sandy Arnold, founder of Pioneer Development Company, told the Pueblo City Council the team identified about 120 acres in six planning areas surrounding the campus and narrowed the near-term focus to three planning areas suited for new development.

Why it matters: The concept would add student housing, mixed-use retail, hospitality and supporting infrastructure to create a campus gateway and increase on-campus housing. The university’s presentation estimated about $7.8 million in horizontal public-infrastructure costs—including a $3.8 million extension of Desert Flower Boulevard—that the presenters said CSU Pueblo cannot fund alone.

Concept and scale

The development team described a campus-centric concept that clusters mixed-use, walk-up retail with apartments above, quick-service restaurants, a hotel and student multifamily housing along the campus entry. The team identified one 24-acre parcel near the Walking Stick Golf Course as a candidate for sale and potential residential subdivision; other parcels would be retained by the university and developed to create a new campus entrance and commercial corridor.

Infrastructure and finance strategy

Ortiz and the team identified horizontal infrastructure costs (streets, water and sewer) at roughly $4 million for campus-area improvements plus $3.8 million to extend Desert Flower Boulevard, producing a total horizontal public-infrastructure estimate of about $7.8 million. The presenters proposed a layered public-finance approach that could include:

- Metropolitan district(s) that could issue debt and collect property taxes on ground leases and new residential parcels; - An urban renewal area to capture tax increment financing; and - Potential public improvement fees (PIF) tied to sales tax and lodging tax credits.

"Stacking these public incentives on top of the metro district can achieve feasibility," the presentation said; Carolyn White, the team’s public-finance representative, told council that any proposed metro-district service plan would be brought to the council for approval with full details of boundaries and maximum debt limits.

Student housing and demand

Presenters said student housing is a primary driver. They reported a waiting list of more than 130 students for certain on-campus apartment options and described student housing as a key attractor to keep and recruit enrollment.

Process and timeline

Ortiz said the university’s Board of Governors adopted a resolution authorizing the start of public processes, including creating an urban renewal area, pursuing a metro district and, if needed, issuing an RFP to select a master developer. The presenters said they plan to pursue those paths in parallel and aim to have an urban renewal area and metro district in place by fall, pending approvals and development-partner input.

Council response and next steps

Council members generally praised the concept and asked questions about community outreach, the Desert Flower Boulevard extension and how developers would be engaged. Several councilors requested more stakeholder engagement and noted the project’s regional and neighborhood impacts. Ortiz said the university and the development team will continue outreach and return with formal proposals (service plans, boundaries, RFPs) that would require council approval.

Ending: The presentation concluded with the team offering to return with a more detailed package as planning advances and noting that the metro-district service plan and any urban renewal proposals would be brought to the council for formal action.