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Urgent: Dangerous ADU Density Plans
Email to ask Fire Chief Royal to do his job added below.
NO TO REZONING TO TURN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES INTO DUPLEXES WITH NO OCCUPANCY LIMITS, CITY WIDE.
The YIMBY movement sponsored by the National Association of Realtors in Austin (and nationally) has been doing this for the last several years and property values have plummeted as both the Single Family Units (Houses) and Multi-family Units (Apartments) markets are crashing. Most importantly, our EVACUATION TIMES on most of the westside are already 8.5 hours in best case, blue sky conditions. This will effectively triple the population. Watch the trailer for the Subdivide and Conquer documentary about what happened in Austin. The filmmaker was threatened with legal action for this documentary (from the powerful forces promoting this insanity). We have reached out to the producers and see if we can get a copy of it, but the trailer does a good job capturing the problem. GUESS WHAT?!! Even the trailer (see below) is now removed because we have sent so many people to see it. Wow, now that's power.
Update: 3/24/2025
This will be Item 11A on the 3/25/2025, Tuesday City Council agenda. To comment should submit their name, telephone number, and the topic or agenda item for comment via allcouncil@coloradosprings.gov in addition to calling +1 720-617-3426 United States, Denver (Toll) and entering this Conference ID: 651 962 207#
Send an email. Show up or call-in and object. Public comment was suposed to be disallowed, but President Helms is insisting. We smell a set-up. We are expecting that a line of the usual suspects like Jill Gaebler of the Pikes Peak Housing Network (EDC/Chamber), Devon Comacha who works for her, Housing advocates like religious charities, architects and citizens they round up will be there to justify a "yes" vote. Once again, Councilmember Donelson was the only one clearly calling for pause and more study. We have no idea what this will do to evacuation times other than it will be worse, our plumbing and electrical infrastructure, etc. So, we ask you to fire off an email asking them to exert Home Rule and pause and study all the issues first before making such radical changes. CALL IN TO COMMENT. SEND AN EMAIL TO: allcouncil@coloradosprings.gov and cc: westsidewatchcos@gmail.com
The Dangerous Density ADU Ordinance was discussed today. Essentially, the changes are at outlined in the far right column of the below chart. 134,000 Single Family homes throughout the City will be able to build on ADU per lot and HOAs, PUDs, Covenants will not be able to stop it, with one parking space required, limited to 50% of the size of the primary structure or 1,250 sq. ft. (whichever is less - if the primary structure is 1,500 sq. ft., the ADU may be 750 sq. ft., ADUs are not counted towards the total gross floor area of the principal building, Minimum setbacks, Minimum front and side setback isthe same as the principal building, 5 ft. rear, Detached ADUs may not be located in front of the principal building, single story cannot exceed 15 feet and garage conversion shall not exceed 25 feet. Maximum height of attached/integrated ADU may not exceed building height of the principal building. Exterior access may not be gained from the front and a 36 feet wide access path from front property line. ADUs may not be used a short-term rentals and property owner must reside on premises. Appeals per current code requirements and poster notice of planned ADU for neighbors.
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Regarding the WUI, ADUs will not be allowed in the Wildand "Resiliency" Area which is an undefined and comical term. The Fire Marshall will have the approval authority which, based upon the many lawsuits we have underway, means anything goes. They just approved the Rock Creek Mesa Development and Annexation with the local Fire Chief objecting on evacuation concerns.
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This will cause significant changes to your neighborhoods, and it's urgent. Littleton recently shelved their plans to rezone all lots for up to 4-plexes. We are a Home Rule city, and Wynetta Massey, our City Attorney and President of the Colorado Municipal League (that lobbies for Home Rule Cities) has the authority to challenge this dangerous density mandate in the courts.
Do you want your neighbors to build two (2) more homes on their property right next to yours? Do you want both neighbors on either side of you to build a combined four (4) new homes next to your property? And, each new home possibly being taller and bigger than your neighbor’s current residence?
Imagine four (4) new homes on each side of you:
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With structures that tower over you and windows that peer into your space
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With transient groups of people that come/go in short term rentals
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With no new parking spaces provided (CO law)
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With no limit on the number of people in each home (CO law)
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With no consistent design standards (almost anything goes)
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With no recourse for you to fight the situation or appeal (CO law)
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What to do?
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Read about the new ordinance at https://coloradosprings.gov/ADUOrdinanceUpdate
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Speak up and express your concerns
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The LA Fires have punctuated the density problem. Those weren't forest fires -- it was a massive structure fire that is worsened by density and high winds. The structures are the dangerous fuels.
Speak up!
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Send email (Sample email below you can quickly copy/paste and send).
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Attend the City Council meeting to hear this issue on 1/28/2025.
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Sample Email
to Mayor Yemi Mobolade, Kevin Walker, and City Council
Note: It's important to copy us for transparency and the press so they see citizens care about this issue.
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To: yemi.mobolade@coloradosprings.gov, kevin.walker@coloradosprings.gov, allcouncil@coloradosprings.gov
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cc: westsidewatchcos@gmail.com, integritymatterscos@gmail.com, chelsea.brentzel@krdo.com, brennan.kauffman@gazette.com, breeanna.jent@gazette.com, mary.shinn@gazette.com, achalfin@krcc.org, asack@kxrm.com, akeith@kktv.com, maggie.bryant@koaa.com, emily.coffey@krdo.com, news@krdo.com, news@koaa.com, news@kktv.com, news@krcc.org, news@cpr.org, news@fox21news.com, talkshow@aol.com
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Subject: Oppose the ADU Ordinance – Defend Home Rule and Public Safety​​
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Dear Mayor Mobolade, Mr. Walker, & City Councilmembers,
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I am writing to ask you to vote against the ADU Ordinance and to urge the City of Colorado Springs to fight HB24-1152 in the courts by asserting our Home Rule authority. This ordinance is not only unnecessary but also dangerous, especially for a city like ours that faces significant wildfire risks and evacuation challenges.
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In blue-sky conditions, evacuation times in Colorado Springs already exceed 8.5 hours. Densifying housing through ADUs, combined with lifting occupancy limits, will further strain our evacuation infrastructure. Even a modest doubling (2X) of current densities could make evacuating during a wildfire an impossible task. Have we considered what this zoning change would do to evacuation times for every address? We need evacuation modeling to make informed, safe decisions.
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Fire Chief Randy Royal has the authority to say no to increased density in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). He needs to demand evacuation modeling to show the real impact of these decisions. This is not rocket science, and in fact, Colorado Springs has done this modeling before in 2010. It’s time to mandate evacuation modeling and reporting of times and impact on development to meet today’s challenges.
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Evacuation modeling does not stop development—it saves lives. It helps prevent catastrophic outcomes like we have witnessed in the Paradise Camp Fire, the Lahaina fire, and now the Los Angeles fires. In the Palisades Fire, residents were trapped in gridlocked traffic on narrow roads. Cars backed up for miles, water supplies ran out, and people were forced to abandon their vehicles and run for their lives. Tragically, 24 lives and counting have been lost in the LA fires, despite evacuation alerts and zoned plans.
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As you consider to further densify already non-survivable evacuation routes, consider these:
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From the Paradise Camp Fire, "I ran to the car in front of me, and it was my best friend. Her car was melting. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save her."
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From the Pacific Palisades Fire telling residents to run for their lives: Police officer: "Get out of your car if you want to live." (What do elderly people on walkers do?)
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A friend of Westside Watch co-founder, Dana Duggan, reports his family's Pacific Palisades estate that burned to the ground was not notified - no alerts came. The citizens were on their own, and it was a disaster. LA uses Zonehaven which is terrific in normal conditions, but the widespread failures and strain on communications in these dire fires is a repeated theme. People need their maps with multiple routes identified their times and the impact to development to those times.
These tragedies will happen here in Colorado Springs. Allowing further housing densification in areas already struggling with insufficient egress would make a deadly scenario inevitable. Have we learned nothing from these devastating losses?
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Please stand firm against this ordinance and assert our rights as a home rule city and fight the law in the courts demanding sanity when it comes to mandating dangerous densification that traps people. Colorado Springs cannot afford to gamble with lives or the future of our community. Egress is all that matters in dire fires. Lives depend on it. Evacuation modeling is a lifesaving tool, not a roadblock to progress. Continuing to trap citizens in unsafe conditions is political malpractice. Reject this ordinance, challenge HB25-1152 in court and prioritize public safety above all else.
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Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Contact Information]
Sample Email
to Fire Chief Randy Royal asking him to do his job.
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To: Randolph.Royal@coloradosprings.gov
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cc: yemi.mobolade@coloradosprings.gov, kevin.walker@coloradosprings.gov, allcouncil@coloradosprings.gov, westsidewatchcos@gmail.com, integritymatterscos@gmail.com, chelsea.brentzel@krdo.com, brennan.kauffman@gazette.com, breeanna.jent@gazette.com, mary.shinn@gazette.com, achalfin@krcc.org, asack@kxrm.com, akeith@kktv.com, maggie.bryant@koaa.com, emily.coffey@krdo.com, news@krdo.com, news@koaa.com, news@kktv.com, news@krcc.org, news@cpr.org, news@fox21news.com, talkshow@aol.com
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Subject: Fire Chief Royal – Protect Public Safety, Stop Dangerous Westside Densification
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Dear Chief Royal,
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The primary duty of the Fire Department is to protect lives and property from preventable disasters. Yet, as densification continues on the wildfire-prone westside of Colorado Springs, we are witnessing dangerous decisions being made that directly contradict both fire science and public safety. The people of Colorado Springs who you are paid to protect implore you to use your authority to stop reckless overdevelopment before tragedy strikes.
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The catastrophic Marshall, Waldo Canyon, and Los Angeles wildfires have shown us exactly what happens when density meets fire. Entire neighborhoods were lost not just because of the initial flames, but because the spacing and density of structures allowed fire to spread house to house, block to block, unchecked.
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Dr. Jack Cohen, a leading expert in fire science, has repeatedly emphasized that it is not the wildland fire itself but the density and proximity of buildings that create urban conflagrations. Fires become unstoppable when structures are built too close together, with limited defensible space and inadequate evacuation routes.
Your moral duty as Fire Chief is to protect the people of Colorado Springs—not to appease developers. When the next fire strikes—and it will—will you be able to say you did everything in your power to prevent it? Or will you allow the same fatal mistakes made in past disasters to be repeated on your watch?
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The time for action is now. We urge you to:
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Publicly oppose the ADU Ordinance and high-density developments in wildfire-prone areas before it is too late.
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Demand compliance with proper fire safety standards that include sufficient structure spacing, evacuation modeling, and defensible space.
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Hold developers accountable for prioritizing profit over public safety.
If this city fails to act, it will not be because we lacked knowledge—it will be because we lacked the courage to stand up and do the right thing. Please, use your position to protect the people of Colorado Springs before lives are lost.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address]
[Contact Information]