John Cassiani has gone back to his roots in real estate and development from a two-year stint with the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. Last fall, Cassiani began a new gig as the vice president of project operations for the Banning Lewis Ranch.As a member of the EDC team, Cassiani said he worked with El Paso County representatives, the Colorado Springs City Council, the Colorado Department of Transportation and other entities that decide the fate of the face of Colorado Springs. He helped create 5,000 jobs, he said, and referenced the overall experience as “fun.””I am a developer who left that for a couple of years,” he said of his time at EDC. Cassiani also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.As he winds his way back in to the development arena with the BLR, Cassiani’s goals are similar. “We want to be very good neighbors with the people (eastern plains communities) out there,” he said.Cassiani said that he wants the BLR and the eastern communities to be a place where residents live, work and play. “Peterson Air Force Base and Shriever will hopefully think of BLR as a great place to live,” he said.City Council has approved the Village 1 construction, Northtree, and Cassiani is hoping that prospective homeowners will be drawn to the area because of the development plans, including parks, a recreation center, trails and a school – all scheduled for completion this fall.The build out at the BLR is planned over the next 40 to 50 years, with commercial and office space and 70,000 dwellings housing 200,000 residents, Cassiani said. “This is not a quick fix, it’s a two to three year project,” he said.The BLR will be “another city within a city” with a lot of open space, parks, and walking trails, Cassiani said. “It’s going to be a really great community. We want to make it special and are really proud of what we have accomplished here.”Cassiani on growthWhen Cassiani moved to Colorado Springs in 1981, he said he knew this is where he wanted to stay. The quality of air, amount of sunshine, fitness options and the growth of the community attracted him.The Springs also is a young person’s community where the lifestyle is a “participatory lifestyle versus spectator lifestyle,” Cassiani said.However, Cassiani said he would like to change the national image of Colorado Springs. The ultra-conservative, right-wing community portrayal does not encompass the area’s true personality, he said. “There is nothing wrong with that image, but the image paints us in a light that is not as accurate as it should be,” he said.Whatever the image, growth continues.Cassiani said that since he moved to the area, the population has doubled.”People who are for no growth think if they turn off the lights and put a fence around their property, then no growth will happen,” he said. It’s not true, he said. Colorado offers affordable housing, a great year-round climate, the mountains and other amenities. People want to come here, which make it a high-growth state, alongside California, Florida and Arizona, Cassiani added.The growth will continue, he said. Retailers need certain demographics, and many people are moving here, he said.Cassiani blends with work with family, his first priority. He and his wife of 35 years, Erena, have two daughters: Maria, age 31, an assistant principal for the New York City public school system; and Gina, age 28, a critical care nurse at Denver General Hospital.Although Cassiani often visits his Italian family in Pittsburgh, he’s obviously rooted in Colorado. “Colorado Springs is the most beautiful city I’ve ever been in,” he said.
