El Paso County hearing on Monument Ridge East leaves key questions about density, traffic and landscaping unresolved

El Paso County commissioners on Dec. 12 heard three related applications for the Monument Ridge East property east of I‑25 and south of County Line Road — two map‑amendment rezones (to RM‑12 and RS‑6000) and a 59.48‑acre preliminary plan proposing 37 single‑family lots and 21 multifamily lots — but did not take a final vote. The board spent several hours of testimony, staff presentations and public comment before recessing for the lunch break and asking staff to return with clarified conditions.

Planning staff told the board the three items are interdependent: the preliminary plan depends on the rezoning outcomes. At the Planning Commission, staff noted, RS‑6000 had been recommended 8–0; the RM‑12 rezoning produced a 4–4 tie (no recommendation); the preliminary plan carried a 5–3 recommendation. County planners said they had received public input raising traffic, density, compatibility and design questions and that some supporting technical reports lacked clarity on housing type. Staff recommended several conditions, including submittal of a full landscaping plan and a site development plan to accompany subsequent final plats, and noted that a water sufficiency review had been…