A new 240-unit apartment complex at the corner of Woodmen Road and Black Forest Road is under construction ó the housing project will cater to low-to middle-income families. Construction began in late October, according to an email from Keith James, development manager for the Inland Group, the projectís developer and long-term owner of the property.Dan Sexton, senior planner for the Colorado Springs Housing and Community Development Division, said Inland approached the city about the project in the fall of 2015. As part of the land use review process, the developer then held a neighborhood meeting Dec. 16, 2015; and, based on a lack of input from the community regarding the project, Inland moved forward with the plans, Sexton said.Because the project required a change to the Woodmen Heights Master Plan, Inland had to acquire a major master plan amendment, zone change and planned unit development change, which the cityís planning commission approved May 19, 2016, he said.Initially, the project was presented to the city as a market rate project but part way through the approval process, Inland changed the status to a workforce housing project, Sexton said. ìIn terms of land use on the property, there is no distinction between workforce housing, or low-income housing, and market rate housing, like a regular apartment complex,î he said. ìEven if they (Inland) had told us it would be a workforce housing project, it would still have gone through the same process with the same outcome.îOn Sept. 20, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved the issuance of a multifamily housing revenue note for $30,000,000 to fund the project. The note, which will act as a private activity bond, will be underwritten and held by Citibank, N.A.; the county is not responsible for repayment of the bond. The revenue note is made possible by the County and Municipality Development Revenue Bond Act.The project also qualifies for a low-income housing credit, agreed upon by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.According to the Department of Housing and Urban Developmentís website, the following are 2016 low income limits for El Paso County: a one-person household is $39,800; two people ó $45,450; three people ó $51,150; four people ó $56,800; five people ó $61,350. To be eligible to live in the Copper Range complex, a person or family cannot exceed those limits.Some residents in the adjacent Forest Meadows neighborhood voiced concern about the approval process and the project itself. Earnest Aziz, homeowner in Forest Meadows since 2010, said he never received any notification about the project or related meetings. ìI think if they (Inland) had an initial plan that everybody else was aware of, they should have stuck with that plan,î he said. ìA lot of people buy these houses and expect to get some kind of return on them someday.îSexton said the city did not conduct studies to see if a low-income housing project could negatively impact home values in the surrounding areas because it is not part of their review criteria ó adding that property values are market driven.Steve Schleiker, EPC assessor, said if affordable housing units are well-designed, fit in with the surrounding neighborhoods and are well-managed, they have no negative impact on housing values in the surrounding neighborhoods.ìCopper Range includes a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes targeted to the local workforce,î James wrote in his email. ìThe 13.20-acre site will provide a total of 240 units in 10 buildings, with a central community club house. Each apartment home will include a fully equipped kitchen, individual HVAC, full size washer and dryer, patio/balcony and ample storage throughout; including walk-in closets in most master bedrooms. The clubhouse will feature a resident lounge, business center, game room, fitness center, heated seasonal outdoor swimming pool, playground, sport court and parking to include reserved garages, carports and open surface parking.îJames wrote that Inland chose that particular location because they had been looking for a development opportunity in that area and the proximity to jobs and the adjacent Park Ní Ride made the site more attractive.Sexton said Inland will make additional improvements to the roads in the area, including installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Black Forest Road and Vollmer Road.ìThe first building will be ready to occupy next fall, with overall completion in the spring of 2018,î James wrote.
