Downtown Review Board Approves Early Connections Learning Center and Receives Updates on Downtown Master Plan - May 6, 2025
Downtown Review Board Approves Early Connections Learning Center and Receives Updates on Downtown Master Plan - May 6, 2025
The Downtown Review Board (DRB) held its monthly meeting on May 6, 2025, at 9:00 AM at the Regional Development Center (2880 International Circle). The board received staff communications on the recent City Council decision upholding the DRB's approval of the One Vela project, progress on the Downtown Master Plan update, and board member term expirations. The board approved the minutes of the March 3 meeting and unanimously approved a minor improvement plan and warrant for the Early Connections Learning Center at 415 Sahwatch Street.
Communications
- Ryan Tefertiller, Urban Planning Manager, reported that on April 7, 2025, City Council upheld the DRB's decision to approve the One Vela project (27-story apartment mixed-use building at Costilla and Sahwatch) by a vote of 6-1, with Councilman Donelson opposed and Councilmembers Risley and Henjum absent.
- Upcoming public events for the Downtown Master Plan update on May 8, 2025: a Coffee and Chat (7:30 AM – 9:30 AM) at the Pioneers Museum and a Walk and Talk (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM) leaving from UCCS Downtown Space to provide input to the consultant team.
- Formal consultant presentations to the DRB are expected later in fall 2025, with adoption anticipated around February 2026. The form-based code revisions will be brought concurrently with the master plan updates for coordinated hearings.
- Board members Kronstadt and Luciano have terms expiring in August 2025; they were asked to decide on reappointment to begin recruitment if needed. The process for filling Kronstadt's seat representing Mill Street and Shooks Run neighborhoods was explained: the city will contact neighborhood associations for nominations, and interviews with City Council representatives may occur if there are multiple nominees.
Approval of Minutes
- The minutes from the March 3, 2025, DRB meeting were approved by a vote of 8-0-1 (Board Member Coats absent).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Austin Wilson Bradley, Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Partnership, spoke in support of the Early Connections Learning Center project. He noted that the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) provided a $50,000 grant for the project, which enhances the value of a downtown property and provides needed childcare near offices.
Discussion Items
- Early Connections Learning Center (FBZN-25-0001): An FBZ Minor Improvement Plan and warrant to allow conversion of an existing two-story building into an early childhood education center at 415 Sahwatch Street (southeast corner of West Costilla and Sahwatch). The proposal includes a 5-foot black powder-coated aluminum fence around children's play areas, with additional landscaping between the fence and the sidewalk within city right-of-way to buffer the fence. The site is 0.65 acres, zoned FBZ-CEN (Form-Based Zone Central). Staff found the project compliant with PlanCOS and the warrant criteria in Section 5.4.3 of the Form-Based Code. Standard public notice was given (65 postcards) and no comments were received. City Agency Review required installation of a sidewalk along Sahwatch Street; a variance to reduce sidewalk width is likely to be approved to preserve old-growth trees.
- Board members asked questions about the fence location (clarified that the fence surrounds play areas on the north and south sides of the building, not the parking lot), whether the project replaced a previously proposed new construction behind the Antlers Hotel (applicant confirmed they decided against new construction and chose renovation at 415 Sahwatch instead), gate security (perimeter fences have panic bars and locking hardware; internal fences have pass-through gates), and programming (two infant rooms, three toddler rooms, five preschool rooms, with playgrounds for each age group and a professional development center for adults in the basement).
Key Outcomes
- The board unanimously approved the application (motion by Board Member Mikulas, seconded by Board Member Friesema) with a vote of 8-0-1 (Board Member Coats absent). The approval includes a requirement to resubmit the plan depicting a sidewalk along Sahwatch Street that meets Development Review requirements and adjust the final landscape plan as needed.
- Appeal instructions were read: an affected party may appeal the board's action to City Council within ten calendar days (by May 16, 2025) by filing a notice of appeal with the county clerk and paying a $176 fee.
Meeting Transcript
Yes, good morning. Um, and welcome to the downtown review board meeting May 6, 2025. The downtown review board meets monthly to receive the downtown development applications using the downtown Colorado Springs form-based code regulating plan. The downtown review board is comprised of nine members appointed by city council. Board members are community volunteers with expertise across a wide variety of disciplines. Each member acts independently, carefully assessing all the evidence presented to make their decision. Melissa, will you call roll this morning? Board member Nolette. Board Member Kuzman here. Board member Coates. Board Member Cronstadt. Here. Board Member Hensler. Here. Chair Lord. Here. Board Member Friesma. Here. Board Member Mikolas. Here. Board Member Luciano. Thank you. We have seven present. Thank you, Melissa. No changes to the agenda or postponements. And we can move forward with communications from Ryan Urban Planning Manager. Thank you. Mr. Vice Chair, Ryan Tiefer Tiller, Urban Planning Manager. Just a couple of very brief communications. First, I wanted to relay board members are probably aware of this already from local media coverage, but uh just wanted to uh confirm that on April 7th, so that was just about a month ago. City council um upheld the downtown review board decision, denying the appeal of your decision for the one Vela project. That's the uh 27-story apartment mixed-use building on Costilla and Sawatch. Um so that was uh uh DRB's decision to approve was upheld with a six to one vote. Uh Councilman Donaldson was the sole uh uh voice that did not agree with the downtown review board. Uh there were two members, I believe Risley and Henjum uh were absent from that meeting. Um so I just want to confirm that. Um secondly, looking forward later this week on Thursday, May 8th, there are some public events related to the update to the downtown master plan. Um let's see, firstly in the morning at from 7:30 to 9 30. There's a coffee and chat on the South Lawn of the Pioneers Museum. Uh if it is still raining on Thursday, which it could be, uh, that will be uh moved uh inside the Pioneers Museum. Um and then later that day, between 5 and 7 p.m., there's a walk and talk um where people can uh visit some uh relevant sites downtown and provide input to the consultant team on uh their thoughts about um downtown's future and that event leaves from the UCCS downtown space. Um I just encourage the DRB members if you want to participate in either of those, you're certainly welcome. Uh there will be um formal presentations from the consultants for the project to the DRB uh later in the fall, and then we expect it to be in front of the board for adoption um early next year. We're talking maybe February-ish, uh, if we stay on schedule. So um happy to answer any questions about the downtown master plan update. Um, and I will continue to try to keep the board informed of uh public events and opportunities to weigh in on on that process. Uh Ryan, I have a question. Please is it in regarding our form-based code revisions? Are we still thinking that we're waiting until after that plan is adopted so we can sort of merge or I think the current I think the current thinking is actually to bring them through more or less concurrent.
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