BAR Public Hearing on June 4, 2026: New Construction at 1126 Prince Street and Deferral
BAR Public Hearing (Noted Date: June 4, 2026; Actual Meeting Date: June 3, 2026)
Discrepancy note: The instruction specifies the meeting date as 2026-06-04 12:15:00+00:00, but the agenda, minutes, and transcript all indicate the meeting was held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 7:00 PM. This summary uses the instructed date in the title for consistency, but the content reflects the actual date.
The Board of Architectural Review held a public hearing on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 7:02 PM to 7:28 PM. All seven members were present. The board approved the prior meeting minutes, approved a new construction project at 1126 Prince Street, and approved an applicant-requested deferral for alterations at 409 South Royal Street. Several administrative approvals were listed but not discussed during the public hearing.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of May 20, 2026: Approved as submitted (7-0 vote). No modifications were proposed by board members or the public.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sean Lan (address: 111 Langley Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado; noted he had spoken at a prior meeting) expressed concern about loss of natural light in his apartments due to the proposed new construction at 1126 Prince Street. He argued that the kitchen, bathroom, and living room in his units would lose 100% natural light, and he disagreed with a prior board characterization that these were not "primary rooms." He also noted that his own requests for window replacements had been restricted by BAR administrative policies, creating a double standard. He submitted an email from BAR staff (Campbell Sakyan) as evidence. He was given three minutes to speak.
- No other members of the public spoke on any agenda item.
Discussion Items
- BAR2026-00043 – New Construction at 1126 Prince Street (Unfinished Business): Applicant Prince Corner Real Estate LLC, represented by architect Stephen Kulinski, presented a revised design for a new residential building. This application had been previously approved in 2010 but not built. The applicant made design changes in response to earlier board and citizen comments: reduced the roof height by narrowing the bay window and lowering the roof peak; reduced the number of risers at the rear to lower the overall height by about one foot; wrapped brick around the sides and rear (eliminating stucco on visible elevations); revised the rear elevation to give purpose to window arrangement; and set back the gate for more relief from the road.
- Board members asked about materials: the rear elevation uses synthetic slate shingles on the third floor and side elevations, inspired by townhouses at Robinson Landing on Duke Street. Board member noted the extensive use of slate on a flat surface was unusual but not a concern.
- Board member commented that the improved mass and proportions were appreciated, though preferring the earlier facade design; understood the technical constraints (lateral bracing required widening between windows). Another member praised the wrapping of brick and the reduction in height, though still wished the building were lower than adjacent two-story houses. The applicant noted the second floor has 8-foot ceilings, which is low but reasonable.
- Board member initiated a future discussion topic: a presentation on how to manage building heights on historic blocks, including analysis of historic ceiling height norms and architectural methods to minimize mass. This was welcomed by the chair and staff (Mr. Conkey).
- BAR2026-00130 – Alterations at 409 South Royal Street (New Business): The applicant requested a deferral because the owner was out of town and equipment was not ready. No discussion beyond reading the request.
Key Outcomes
- BAR2026-00043 (1126 Prince Street): Motion to approve as submitted. Carried with a vote of 7-0. The certificate of appropriateness was issued.
- BAR2026-00130 (409 South Royal Street): Motion to approve the applicant's request for deferral. Carried with a vote of 7-0. The item was deferred to a later meeting.
- The board discussed holding a future special session (possibly September) on building heights and block bases, led by staff. Board member also requested including discussion of lock bases and ratios of heights on the block.
- Meeting adjourned at 7:28 PM.
Administrative Approvals (Listed but not discussed during hearing; items BAR2026-00176 through BAR2026-00210) – these were presumably handled administratively.
Meeting Transcript
Hey. This meeting is called to order. We'll proceed tonight with the applications and other agenda items in the order indicated on the docket. Limited copies of tonight's agenda, and each staff report are available over here in the corner of the room on a first come, first served basis. If you are an applicant, be sure to read the staff report for your case if you haven't yet. For each application, we will proceed in the following order of business. The applicant or his or her representative may present the proposal or be available for questions to the board. It's not required. The board encourages applicants to be thorough but concise. The public will have an opportunity to speak on each application. Any members of the public interested in speaking on a docket item should fill out speaker forms, which are over there. And uh hand them to the staff, any staff member here. Um you'll have to state your name and an address for the record. Members of the public have three minutes to speak on each item. Those representing community organizations will have five minutes. After the public comment is complete, the applicant may respond to any public comments. Following this, the board will close public discussion and begin deliberation. During deliberation, the board will probably ask the majority of its questions of the applicant. After deliberation, the board may take the following actions on each application. Vote on a motion to issue, can um conditionally issue or deny a certificate of appropriateness. Upon request by an applicant, vote on a motion to defer taking action. Vote to continue the case until the next available public hearing, or vote uh proceeds to the next docket item without taking action. If the board takes no action at the next regularly scheduled meeting, the certificate of appropriateness would be automatically issued. Want to make a couple of mo uh comments on voting? Motions pass by a simple majority vote. If a tie vote happens, that means uh the motion is denied. And if the board votes to deny an application, a similar application will not be considered for a period of one year the denial. The uh board occasionally takes up matters other than applications for a certificate of appropriateness. The public will have an opportunity to comment on those matters. Any uh decision by the board can be appealed to the city council. Uh appeals will be made within 14 days according to the zoning ordinance. And uh so today our first item is consideration of the minutes of the May 20th DAR hearing. Do any members wish to propose modifications to those minutes? Does any member of the public wish to offer any modifications to the May 20th minutes? If not, can I have a motion on the minutes? So moved. Do we have a second? Second. Is that the second? All those in favor. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Nay. All right, the minutes are adopted. Next, what do we have, Mr. Punky? All right, first item tonight under unfinished business. I just previously deferred to AR 2026. That's the four-three of the fourth district. Request for new construction at 1126 print street.
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