2026-07-08 - City Planning Commission
Summary
Built from the official minutes (Legistar status: Final). No video is posted.
- All nine members present: Chair Hensler, Vice Chair Slattery, and Commissioners Cecil, Robbins, Clements, Gigiano, Willoughby, Case and Engel.
- The La Kitchen parking variance was postponed to August 12 on a unanimous motion (Robbins, Slattery) because the applicant could not attend for medical reasons and neighbors were interested.
- Chair Hensler recognized Vice Chair Slattery for six years of service. Kevin Walker said preparations continue for a July 23 special meeting.
- Minutes: June 4 work session approved 8-0-1 (Slattery abstained); June 10 minutes approved 6-0-3 (Slattery, Willoughby and Case abstained).
- Consent Calendar approved unanimously except items 5.B and 5.F (Robbins, Willoughby): Liberty Logistics conditional use (54 acres, 5930-6180 Airport Road), 752 Clark Place heavy vehicle storage (2.29 acres), Karl Malone Polaris vehicle sales and repair (1883 S. Chelton Road), the 5325 Mark Dabling Boulevard rezoning and the Galley Road light industry conditional use (2.63 acres).
- Buckingham Drive rezoning recommended 7-2 after being pulled from consent.
- All Banning Lewis Ranch Village B2 and Village C items were recommended for approval, most unanimously, with the density adjustment questioned by Cecil.
- AnnexCOS, the 2026 Annexation Plan, recommended for approval 9-0.
La Kitchen Parking Variance
- Item 5.B, NVAR-26-0005 (2001 West Colorado Avenue; one space where seven are required). William Gray announced the postponement to August 12.
Mark Dabling Boulevard Mixed-Use Rezone
- Item 5.E, ZONE-25-0037: 5.41 acres at 5325 Mark Dabling Boulevard from MX-N/SS-O to MX-M/SS-O, first reading to set the August 25 hearing; approved on the consent motion (9-0).
Buckingham Drive Industrial Rezone
- Item 5.F, ZONE-26-0012: 7.79 acres from BP/CR to LI/CR. Vice Chair Slattery pulled it. Chris Sullivan noted the parcels border industrial and commercial land with homes directly south in the R-5 zone; the BP zoning required a 100-foot building setback that LI lacks, and the applicant offered prohibited uses. Ben Swanson said the site's former gravel mining complicates geotechnical work, he wants broad flexibility, and he could support a 25-foot buffer and a 45-foot height limit. Residents Barry Wick and Marcia Wick raised drainage in the Holland Park area, trash, headlights and buffering.
- Daniel Sexton noted new citywide kennel standards and that junkyards in LI already need conditional use review. Slattery wanted additional prohibited uses (animal shelters, kennels, junkyards), retention of the 25-foot buffer and a 45-foot height cap; she and Cecil said compatibility criteria were not met.
- Motion by Willoughby, seconded by Clements, to recommend approval with conditions of record prohibiting household living, group living, industrial hemp, marijuana-related services, natural medicines and indoor and outdoor kennels: passed 7-2 (No: Cecil, Slattery).
Banning Lewis Ranch Village B2 Zoning
- Items 8.A to 8.F. Tamara Baxter presented about 511 acres north of Tamlin Road: 502 acres PDZ (3.5 to 7.99 units per acre, 35-foot maximum), a 9.3-acre MX-M commercial node and a 36-acre right-of-way vacation. Don Ryan said parks total 15.05 acres against 12.87 required, a 25-acre K-8 school site, and the 15.59-acre community park obligation will be combined into a 35-acre park in Village C. Tyler Jones said the 1988 plan allowed 4,574 homes in Villages B1 and B2 against about 2,547 now, with construction starting late next year or 2028 and about 15 years to finish. Todd Frisbie said the arterials are sized for higher densities than proposed. No public comment.
- All six motions passed 9-0: master plan major modification (Cecil, Willoughby); PDZ rezoning of 501.99 acres (Willoughby, Cecil); MX-M rezoning of 9.2 acres (Robbins, Clements); commercial concept plan (Engel, Slattery); right-of-way vacation of 35.86 acres (Slattery, Case); PDZ concept plan (Case, Clements). All were decided under the former Chapter 7 of City Code.
Banning Lewis Ranch Village C Zoning
- Items 8.G to 8.P. Baxter presented 658 acres between Stetson Hills and Dublin Boulevards: 546 acres R-Flex Medium, 111 acres MX-M, four neighborhood parks (about 16 acres), a 35-acre community park, 48-acre high school and 25-acre PK-8 school sites and a 5.8-acre fire station site, plus six development standards adjustments. Ryan estimated 2,426 units at an average 9.94 per acre; CDOT will not allow access from Highway 24 except for emergencies.
- Public comment: David Osborne, owner of an adjacent RV park, asked for access consideration and an open-space buffer; Jay Larson, a Banning Lewis Ranch resident, asked for a southern evacuation route and a survey of residents. Jones said natural features and the Rock Island Trail will buffer the RV park and Oakwood cannot build arterials on land it does not own south of Stetson Hills.
- Engel questioned densities up to 16 units per acre; Cecil said compensating benefits for the density adjustment were not fully shown but supported the rest.
- Motions, all passed 9-0 except as noted: land use plan (Clements, Case); MX-M rezoning of 111.54 acres (Gigiano, Clements); R-Flex Medium rezoning of 546.79 acres (Cecil, Willoughby); vacation of 25.85 acres of right-of-way (Willoughby, Cecil); density range of 3 to 16 units per acre (Robbins, Willoughby); 1,000 square feet minimum lot area per unit (Engel, Clements); second and third floor front setback encroachment up to 2 feet (Slattery, Case); 10-foot corner side setback (Case, Clements); 5-foot side yards for lots without street frontage (Clements, Case); covered porch encroachments up to 5 feet (Gigiano, Clements, after a recess).
AnnexCOS Annexation Plan
- Item 8.Q. Walker presented the 2026 Annexation Plan. Motion by Slattery, seconded by Clements, to recommend approval: passed 9-0.
Sources
- Minutes: https://legistar2.granicus.com/coloradosprings/meetings/2026/7/2757_M_City_Planning_Commission_26-07-08_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
- Related: the Council hearings that followed, 2026-07-14 - City Council (Briargate and annexation items) and the September 8 City Council meeting for the Banning Lewis Ranch items.