50 replies to this topic

[Front_Range_Guy]

Adding to my previous post...

  There has also been an insane amount of development northeast toward Falcon and in the tri-lakes area... but yes, Powers is really the problem area right now.

  Another example is the Penrose-St. Francis hospital system. I was born at St. Francis Hospital downtown in 1983. It closed and moved east to Penrose Community Hospital on Academy Blvd. That's where my sister was born in 1987, and where my nephew was just born. Now, Penrose Community is being shut down in favor of a brand new hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, at Powers and Woodmen. It's a text book study for "cancerous sprawl." The growth spreads, thrives, sucking away all of the areas resources, then moves on, leaving death behind it. I'll give city council credit for actively working to fill in the gaps. Hopefully it isn't too little too late.


  In other news that I find entertaining, the El Paso County District Attorney is in a bit of hot water.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 07 May 2008 - 05:42 PM.

[RestedTraveler]

Although I feel the retailers following the rooftops is due to greed, I have mixed feelings about a healthcare provider doing so.  Partially, it's greed, I suppose...but mostly, it's the whole idea of keeping healthcare close to the people who need it.  Minutes = lives in many cases, so the closer people are to the hospital, the better off they will be.

Here in Greenville, hospitals don't relocate, they just expand and open new locations or new "campuses."  I can't imagine a hospital moving altogether.

[Front_Range_Guy]

What bothers me about what is happening now is that these businesses aren't leaving abandoned neighborhoods... they are just moving out into new sprawl. People living in the older subdivisions have to drive further now, but it's not as if the older subdivisions are emptying out.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 08 May 2008 - 06:41 PM.

[Front_Range_Guy]

This article in this weeks Independent caught my eye.

  I have mixed feelings. This stretch is on the southern edge of downtown. It's one of the few parts of town that feels urban with an eclectic mix of businesses and low income housing options, bright flashing lights, and people walking up and down the streets 24-hours a day. It does have a lot of crime... and it does probably look seedy to out of towners. My biggest fear is that this will be yet ANOTHER case of a developer coming in and closing down a business with big promises, only to have the project not go forward. As bad as it is now, a corridor of empty buildings would be so much worse and it's a situation we are starting to see in some of the city's other "urban renewal" sites.

  In fact, I'd say I'm downright gun shy when it comes to grandios proposals. I'd much rather hear about plans for a modest project that has a chance in hell of getting built than another pie-in-the sky fantasy.

  There is, by the way, a big crane hovering over the south part of downtown. I'm not postive, but I'm fairly certain it's just there to work on the expansion of the county garage. Which is funny, because the county is 8 million dollars over budget for the year. The people in this county aren't willing to pay taxes. We get what we pay for and in the coming years, I'm afraid we are going to be getting a lot less out of local government. I'm prepared to deal with it, I hope the whiners who aren't willing to fund government but expect five star service are.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 08 May 2008 - 07:04 PM.

[Front_Range_Guy]

This is becoming more of a blog than a discussion.  

  Anyway, I don't know if I've mentioned 2-way Tejon on here yet. Our desperate downtown partnership decided one way to bring more shoppers into downtown would be to switch Tejon Street from a 1 way street to a 2 way street. It had been 1 way since the 70's, and last month they made the switch. I'm fairly indifferent... I don't think this type of change will help downtown business any. I don't think people are saying "oh boy, I can't wait to go drive in 2 DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS on Tejon Street! REVOLUTIONARY!." That said, it is nice to be able to exit I-25 at Tejon and drive northbound through downtown, rather than having to weave my way east to Nevada or west to Cascade. Anyway, people on the Gazette's comment section are predictably beotching. They claim it is causing extra congestion. A... I doubt it. B... take Nevada or Cascade if you don't like Tejon, and C... you're downtown, of course there will be some traffic... unless the city is completely dead. Whiners.

  The state democratic convention will be at the Colorado Springs World Arena next weekend. About 10,000 delegates are expected to attend. It should be a nice boost to the economy, but we'll see if any protestors cause trouble. After the St. Patricks Day parade debacle in 2007, you never can tell.

  Oh... a local television station reports Colorado Springs economy is in the worst shape it's ever been in... at least since they started keeping records. That's nice.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 10 May 2008 - 09:46 AM.

[The Voice of Reason]

Front_Range_Guy, on May 10 2008, 10:44 AM, said:

Oh... a local television station reports Colorado Springs economy is in the worst shape it's ever been in... at least since they started keeping records. That's nice.

well the funny thing there is that the worst ever in CS is still better than most other cities at their best.

There is still lots of construction, and proposals etc.

I am sure there is still job growth as well.

Hartford is light years ahead of where we were in the 90s but we are still not doing as well as CS or most cities outside of the4 North East for that matter.

[RestedTraveler]

If I may comment on your blog    ... To open it up to two-way traffic is OK...but from my experience, Tejon wasn't all that exciting to me...nor was any part of downtown COS, really.  It's missing some pedestrian energy (and trees).  I have an idea.  Why not close Tejon off to vehicle traffic altogether between Colorado and Cimarron and make it a pedestrian mall of sorts - kinda like Pearl Street in Boulder or the 16th Street Mall in Denver?  Just a thought.

Perhaps Colorado Springs could follow in the footsteps of so many cities around the country and send some city officials over here to Greenville (I bet the tax payers would love that) to study first-hand what Greenville has done to revitalize its downtown.  Couldn't you imagine the sidewalks along Tejon in Downtown Colorado Springs looking like Main Street here in Greenville?

[Front_Range_Guy]

That would be nice... citizen support for downtown Colorado Springs goes something like this:

  "I agree, we should make downtown better, as long as it doesn't cost us anything."

  Despite the city and county governments collapsing under their own weight, the extreme conservative majority here are convinced they are over taxed, and refuse to be taxed any further. It's one of my biggest frustrations. Why all of these people think they can move here from other states to escape high taxes, and not be expected to pay for the infrastructure that we had to build to support their being here is beyond me. When did moderation and rational thought go out of style?

  So... it's really up to the private sector right now. The city council is helping where they can, but in a town of libertarians who think the government is out to get them at every turn, the city's hands are largely tied.

  The Downtown Partnership has entertained the idea of a pedestrian mall. They say you have to have a certain critical mass of people living and working downtown for that to work, and our downtown doesn't have it.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 10 May 2008 - 11:03 AM.

[Front_Range_Guy]

Adding to something I said in another thread about the support downtown gets from residents here... I should say that downtown business owners and residents have proven more than willing to invest in themselves. Last year they approved the Downtown Development Authority tax, and while I question the Downtown Partnerships effectiveness, the fact is, downtown is a better place because of the work they do, and they seem to be getting better all of the time.

  downtown80903 is the downtown partnerships website, and gives a pretty good idea of the work they do.

Edited by Front_Range_Guy, 12 May 2008 - 11:14 AM.

[The Voice of Reason]

kind of an interesting article in Multi Family Executive magazine
http://www.multifami...rticleID=748652
City of opportunity

Colorado Springs may be one of the nation's most promising markets.

[Pikes Peak]

The recession hit Colorado Springs very hard. The city budget is in shambles. There have been massive layoffs in all departments, the police helicopters were sold, most parks are not being maintained, most rec centers have closed, the tourism and economic development budgets are gone.

The private sector has stepped up to some extent. The USOC is paying to keep 3 swimming pools open, for example. Libertarian ideology is being put to the test right now, basically. The city manager has resigned, and there is talk that the police chief won't be far behind, because the budget isn't getting better anytime soon, and more staff reductions and pay cuts are likely.

Meanwhile, there is growing momentum behind the idea of a strong mayor form of government, as voters look for someone to hold accountable for all of the city's problems.

In spite of all of this, downtown has actually held up rather well. The creation of the downtown development authority has really kept the momentum up. The economy did kill Cooper Tower, and Pikes Peak Place, Southwest Downtown, and Citygate remain stalled... but the situation downtown could be a whole lot worse. DDA grants have allowed businesses to update and modernize their store fronts, add new signage, or even pay the rent.

Edited by Pikes Peak, 25 April 2010 - 11:54 AM.