31 replies to this topic

[RestedTraveler]

I'll get this topic started by citing the story from the Colorado Springs Business Journal:  HERE.  There's also a very nice rendering of the building included with this article.

Hopefully the fine folks in Colorado Springs can supply more information on this project (i.e. construction updates, photos of the progress, other related news, etc.) going forward.

[Front_Range_Guy]

It's also worth mentioning that an additional 20 to 24-story mixed use building is proposed for that same block, immediately south of Cooper Tower. The project has been given the name "Pikes Peak Place", but few details have been releasted and no rendering has been made public yet.

  Additional projects in the downtown area include a 4-story residential loft building called Giddings II. This project is small, but does a nice job of filling in a surface lot. A recent construction photo from newsblab.com can be found here.

[RestedTraveler]

The Giddings II looks to be of a modular type of construction, similar to (yet different from) the Bookends here in Greenville.  Infill is always nice to see.  

[Altimike]

These two highrises should have a positive impact downtown. Every vibrant downtown has a good high-density residential population. First you get more people then more businesses will be needed to serve the people. Then more people want to be there and you have a nice little loop.

[Front_Range_Guy]

True... but I think Colorado Springs econemy is in trouble so we may not see these projects get off the ground any time soon.

[timbucktuna]

hi.  i'm new to colorado springs.  is there a run down of all the development (propossed, approved, under construction, etc.) in downtown and surrounding?  i've read a little bit about a few projects such as pikes peak place, cooper tower, pikes peak plaza, and i saw a sign for a pueblo bank and trust bldg.  curious to see what's on the horizon!

[Front_Range_Guy]

Geez timbucktuna, you know more than I do and I'm a native who has been painstakingly following development in this town for years. What is Pikes Peak Plaza?

  I heard from a local real estate agent that Cooper Tower is coming along nicely and ground breaking is scheduled for late 2007, and that there is a yet to be anounced 12-Story Project planned somewhere along Nevada Ave.

  Also, city council was scheduled to vote today on a new development near America the Beautiful Park that would include a hotel, an office building, a residental project, and a new headquarters for the USOC.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 28 November 2006 - 03:22 PM.

[timbucktuna]

Front_Range_Guy, on Nov 28 2006, 04:19 PM, said:

What is Pikes Peak Plaza?

pikes peak plaza is a mixed use project at pikes peak and prospect.  i walked past it the other day and saw three signs with renderings of three different buildings, and a construction trailer parked at the site.
here's and article i found.  it's pretty old though.

http://www.findartic...07/ai_n15671826

here's a picture of one of them

http://ll.bizjournal...g/denver/733010

[Front_Range_Guy]

Oh okay... that site has sat like that for a long time.

[MJLO]

Hey what are the updates on these projects? Is there anything new to report like activity on sites and such?

[Front_Range_Guy]

Here's an interesting article about the architect behind Cooper Tower. (I like the way he thinks LOL)

http://www.findartic...25/ai_n16699861

  Also, I googled Cooper Tower and found out William Guman & Associate Ltd is doing the landscape architecture for the project.

http://www.gumanltd....es-JAN06.htm#3D

  A local real estate agent who posts on SSP wrote last week :

"they are at 50% construction drawings on the cooper tower.
groundbreaking for late 2007"

  I don't know what this means exactly, but it sounds like a good sign LOL.

  He also posted this:

" GE Johnson will be involved in a project of 12 stories on Nevada Ave. Not yet announced."

  He seems credible.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 09 December 2006 - 04:30 PM.

[RestedTraveler]

Front_Range_Guy, on Dec 9 2006, 05:26 PM, said:

"they are at 50% construction drawings on the cooper tower.
groundbreaking for late 2007"

  I don't know what this means exactly, but it sounds like a good sign LOL.

I'm not clear on what this means; however, most condo towers/projects of this nature require a minimum % of pre-construction unit sales before they can kick off the project.  I wonder if this is somehow alluding to this?  

[Front_Range_Guy]

I'd be more inclined to think it has more to do with detailed blue prints of the building (so to speak) than pre-construction sales, but I could be wrong.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 10 December 2006 - 12:24 PM.

[timbucktuna]

i heard recently that over six million people visit colorado springs every year.  with that in mind, i wondered why there arnt more hotels downtown.  highrise hotels like the antlers hilton.  seems like there would be a market for that.
also, sometimes i close my eyes and picture Co springs own version of the CN tower or space needle downtown.  that would be awsome!

[Front_Range_Guy]

Something like that might work in CS, but I can't imagine the circumstances under which it would happen... I suppost stranger things have happened.

[MJLO]

6 million, seems like a very high number.  But I know very little about the area.  I wonder in what capacity, they are counting those tourist numbers.  In my estimation 6 million people would have given it a huge hotel market already.

[Front_Range_Guy]

MJLO, on Dec 12 2006, 12:28 PM, said:

6 million, seems like a very high number.  But I know very little about the area.  I wonder in what capacity, they are counting those tourist numbers.  In my estimation 6 million people would have given it a huge hotel market already.

  I've heard the same number tossed around in years passed.

  I've also heard the summer time metro area population is fairly steadily over 1 Million because of tourists.

  I have no sources and cannot prove either number to be factual, but I have heard them somewhere before.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 12 December 2006 - 02:46 PM.

[MJLO]

My question is then, does it feel like there are that many people there in the summer time.

[Front_Range_Guy]

I would say so... traffic is worse in the summer and crime seems to spike. Everyone alway's blames the heat. Really, the metro population is closing in on 600,000 now and there are bound to be people (illegals etc) that are not counted. 1 Million is not that far away...

  When I think about that 6 Million a year figure though, I don't think that can possibly be right. Maybe later if I'm bored I'll try to find information on the convention and visitors bureau website or something.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 12 December 2006 - 06:41 PM.

[timbucktuna]

i moved to the springs this past july. i live in the downtown area, and it definately seemed like there where more people walking around then.  i heard the six million figure on the radio.  i believe it was krcc.  co springs local npr station.  i love their moring and afternoon free-form show!