Submitted by Kevin Curry
Friends of Falcon has been tracking various topics relevant to Falcon area residents. Here is a brief update on several of them.
The most recent item is that CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) plans major changes to the intersection of Highway 24 and Judge Orr Road. In recognition of a reality Falcon residents know all too well, CDOT states, “Increasing traffic volumes fueled by development in the area create traffic flow concerns.” To improve flow and safety, CDOT plans to install a roundabout at U.S. 24 and Judge Orr Road. The existing northern connection of Blue Gill Drive to U.S. 24 will be eliminated, and CDOT will construct a new roadway connection (without a signal) between Blue Gill Drive and U.S. 24, roughly one-half mile southwest of the existing intersection. Work is expected to start in the summer of 2027. To learn more, visit the CDOT project page at https://www.codot.gov/projects/studiesus24judgeorrintersection.
Another recent topic is the possible relocation of the Peyton Post Office to Falcon. The United States Post Office decided against the move; after this decision, the new owners of The State Bank announced they would not renew the post office contract when it expires in May. Friends of Falcon reached out to USPS to ask them to reconsider. They responded by noting that the PostalAnnex in Falcon is still available. Friends of Falcon believes this small facility is woefully inadequate to serve the estimated 38,000 residents here. FoF sent a letter to the post office handling the issue, again urging them to reconsider. We have not received a response, but we will provide updates once we have more information.
Two older topics deserve mention. First, as previously reported, El Paso County is in the process of updating the Land Development Code that governs zoning, development and other related activities. The last update was in July of last year, when they solicited comments on the draft revision to the first module. Friends of Falcon reached out to the county to inquire about the status. They replied that the LDC was still being revised and they hope to have drafts available to the public for comments in the coming months. They also noted they will be conducting community outreach to engage the community more later this summer and will post those dates on the website https://www.elpasocountyldc.com.
The other, somewhat related item is the initiative called Our Spacious Skies. The input period closed a while ago, and the results are now published. The top five topics identified by residents as negatively impacting quality of life were the high cost of living (excluding housing), the high cost of housing, traffic congestion, crime and “too much growth.” The traffic and growth issues are particularly important to Friends of Falcon and, apparently, to others as well. According to the report, “The majority of the Pikes Peak Region’s residents (52%) believe growth is making things worse.” About the same number agree that growth brings benefits if it is “carefully managed.” This aligns with Friends of Falcon’s support for “managed growth” that balances growth with the rights of existing property owners. To see the full results, visit the project website at https://www.ourspaciousskies.org/research.
Regarding growth, Friends of Falcon has been tracking proposed developments in the area, including those on the northwest and southwest corners of Meridian Road and Stapleton Drive, as well as “The Ranch,” west of Towner Avenue. Since the original announcements and the filing of the related sketch plans, there have been no substantive updates on any of these projects.
Friends of Falcon will continue to track all these items and more; visit the website at https://TheFriendsOfFalcon.org.
