Developer Randy Scholl wants to build 27 custom homes on 12 acres he owns a mile east of one of the busiest intersections in Colorado Springs: it’s the death trap known as Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway.
Here’s a look at the area from FlashEarth.com:
His land is part of a large unincorporated island, called an “enclave,” surrounded by dense city neighborhoods.
Ridge would be a small neighborhood of 27 custom homes on 12 acres if was allowed to build the project he proposed to El Paso County and to the planning department of Colorado Springs.
The homes would be on land newly annexed into the surrounding city.
Randy Scholl points toward the 12 acres where he wants to build 27 custom homes.
Scholl wants the land annexed because he wants to provide the amenities offered by the city including sewer and water services as well as access to emergency services including police, fire and ambulance.
Austin Ridge would have about 27 homes on half-acre lots and enjoy spectacular views.
But Scholl is being opposed by neighbors in Park Vista Estates, which makes up the bulk of the enclave. It is 385 acres of homes on half-acre lots or larger.
When the neighborhood was laid out 50 years or so ago, it was far out in the county. Everyone was on well water along with septic tanks. Roads have no sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
Or course, the city grew up around the neighborhood and now residents enjoy a slice of rural life in the city. Most — about 200 — even enjoy city water. They converted because they were limited on how much well water they could use. Now they are free to water away on their landscaping!
They also get emergency services from the city — fire and ambulance — without the burden of city taxes. Lucky for them.
So the neighbors, led by Marilyn Morgan, howled when Scholl’s project surfaced. They always thought his 12 acres was landlocked. Some didn’t like the idea of losing their “open space” to houses, planned to be built on an extension of Cedarmere Drive to the east.
They became especially upset when the city wanted Scholl to create a second access point — for emergency services — and he proposed linking to Copper Drive to the south through Park Vista.
Scholl said he would improve the safety of Copper Drive by fixing a blind curve. And he’d make other improvements.
But he doesn’t want to fight. He’s redrawing his plans to build fewer homes — about 20 – on larger lots and only use Cedarmere. But he must convince the city to allow him a single access.
Randy Scholl shows the new plans for Austin Ridge.
Scholl said he understand why some might be upset about a few more cars on their road. But he doesn’t believe the extra cars would create that much traffic. And any inconvenience would be outweighed by the increased safety – both improving the blind curve and for the 27 homes — created by the extra access.
As part of his project, Randy School would eliminate a blind curve where Copper Drive meets Emerald Road.
Scholl said he intends to try to convince the city to let him build a smaller project and drop the second access point on Copper Drive.
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The people in Park Vista are concerned about safety. The roads are very narrow with no curbs and gutters. If any cars are parked along these roads there is not enough room for two facing cars to pass. This is fine with the little traffic that exists now, but the increased use proposed with this development would pose great risks.
The second concern is the inadequate mitigation of water runoff from the site. Everyone in the neighborhood is aware of the flooding caused by poor runoff management next store in Austin Heights.
Bill Vogrin may have a valid point about Park Vista residents who want all the “benefits” county area protections – BUT SINCE WHEN HAVE OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS cared about the average citizen and what they want?
All the Park Vista residents need to do is start holding COLORADO SPRINGS “tea party” events … and start getting these city officials thrown out of office .. that is what they understand. . and your money is what they all want!
Bill,
I am a bit surprised about the one sidedness of your article. You have not presented any of the issues raised by the Park Vista residents about the Copper DRIVE access. Such as the fact that this rural county maintained road is only 20 feet wide, with no curb nor gutters. That the intersection proposed for the egress from the new development dumps into a blind curve below a steep rise, nor that the receiving intersection at Copper Drive and Ruby also has a blind rise to its West. Oh I didn’t even mention the drainage problems, nor the lack of sidewalks which force handicapped residents along Copper Drive to use the street.
Oh yes, and in the 2006 City Annexation plan the city decided it would not be economical to annex Park Vista Estates because the infrastructure improvements would cost too much…
Come on Bill, please tell the whole story…
mike
I live in the Park Vista area and I am sadden by all of the fuss over this Annexation. Reading the blogs has upset me. Mainly the people that think we don’t pay taxes. You need to write about us now. Seems you have a side with the developer. Our area is sounding like we don’t pay taxes and get all of this for free. Get the facts right. We call the police and get the sherrif. We have well water and when the well water run dry we pay for city water. It is not cheap. I had to get a second on my house to get the water. Then we pay more per Cubic foot of water than the city residents do. We are county and county pays more for their water. FYI
Wow! I definitely agree with the one sidedness. Bill, have you visited our neighborhood to see the neighbors concerns in person? If you had the drainage infrastructure we have along with the narrow roads with no sidewalks, you, too, would be concerned for your neighborhood. My children walk and ride their bikes on these narrow streets because there is no other place for them to do this. A new access point would not just encompass traffic from the new neighborhood being developed, but would serve as a cut through to other neighborhoods. Ruby is already used in that way and we suffer with constant traffic and speeding. If you visited our neighborhood, you would see the gullies that we use for drainage. Adding more drainage from above is a huge concern. Come see it in person!
What a laugh. The Park Vista residents are claiming Vogrin sides with the developer most of the time. Go back and read Vogrin’s columns… he is a bleeding heart for 90% of the homeowners & HOAs and goes out of his way to distort the developer as being the “enemy.”
Botton line: Randy Scholl has as much lawful right to develop his property as all the Park Vista homeowners did when they built their homes. Both County and City roads are PUBLIC, not private. If Scholl’s plan adheres to County and City ordinances for development, then he has every right to build.
Park Vista residents need to ask Scholl for his asking price on acquiring all of Austin Ridge, then get together and figure out how to buy it from him (that price will likely be the figure Scholl can expect to sell his developed lots for, inlcuding profit). Otherwise, they need to shut up and back off.
This is disturbing that Park Vista has been painted in such a negative way! When we recently hooked up to City water-We wrote a check for $27,000 plus to the City of Colorado Springs! This was just for the right. We then had to install the water line. So Everyone-Get your facts straight! Also we do, as Donna said, pay the highest tier for water-We moved into this area because we liked the country feel in the city! Gosh Bill-Did you know any of this?
Bill, I read your column on Falcon Estates and you feel sorry for those residents and their traffic problems on streets like the ones in Park Vista. They were annexed to the city and the city engineer can’t help them now. Would the city come in and widen our streets and add sidewalks if we were to be annexed?
We live on Cedarmere Drive in the Austin Heights neighborhood. Could
you please let us know if a final decision has been made on Copper
Drive access for Austin Ridge? Having a young son, 5 years old, I am
very insulted that the county would choose to put our neighborhood
children at a great dangerous risk for the sake of the very few
children if any, who live on Copper. We are well aware that the
majority of homweowners in that area have older kids if any at all. I
look directly onto where the Austin Ridge Copper Drive area is and I
NEVER see children playing in the street. In fact I NEVER see any
children other than the over 12 that live in OUR neighborhood out
playing. We have many young families with young children who will be
directly affected by a lack of second access on Copper Drive! I hope
that you will consider children when the Park Vista bullies try to
convince you their neighborhood should be left untouched.
I sent the above to the county. To those of you in Park Vista, what about our narrow streets and our children in Austin Heights? You have a light, VERY safe for you to turn left onto Austin Bluffs, but we do not! Randy wants to improve your horrible blind corner, which would make it SAFER for your residents. Why not make it fair and have both neighborhoods SHARE the traffic?
I agree with Renee. I also agree with Mr. Vogrins rebuttal today. If you want the land to stay the same, buy it. Park Vista people should be mad at the old lady with the lot that SHE sold to Randy Scholl. Had she not done that he would not have the land to put in a second access road. Obviously she cared more about earning the 125k or so than protecting Copper Drive and Park Vista residents.