Colorado Springs: Cooper Tower

[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.

[timbucktuna]

What is Pikes Peak Plaza?

[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.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...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.com/GAL-Services-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.

[RestedTraveler]

"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.

[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.

[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]

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.

[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.

[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!

[Front_Range_Guy]

Downtown is more active during the summer months in general because the weather is better... but I'd venture the increase in crowds downtown is at least partially due to tourists. Certainly I've seen groups of people crossing Cascade to get to the Antlers Hilton on more than one occasion.

KRCC does have some pretty good programming, it's actually run by Colorado College.

[Front_Range_Guy]

According to Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak, which I believe is ran by the convention and visitors bureau, that 6 Million number is accurate. It also says that Garden of the Gods alone brings in 2 Million of those visitors.

http://www.experiencecoloradosprings.com/t...?pageid=11%7C41

Scroll down to "2005 Statistics"

[Front_Range_Guy]

At first I thought this was the Cooper Tower site, but I'm realizing this work is actually happening on the Pikes Peak Place site next door to where Cooper tower will be built. Nor'wood Development Group has been annoyingly hush hush about Pikes Peak Place, but it is supposed to be between 20 and 25 stories. I can only imagine this is a good sign.

More on the demolition and some photos here:

http://newsblab.com/blabbingmikesblog/nfblog/?p=1297

[timbucktuna]

Nor'wood Development Group has been annoyingly hush hush about Pikes Peak Place, but it is supposed to be between 20 and 25 stories.

[Front_Range_Guy]

No. You may be able to find renderings of the original concept for Pikes Peak Place, which was two 12-Story towers... but Nor'wood never released renderings after announcing they would build One 24-Story building instead. I'm going to send some e-mails and make some calls in the coming week and try to find out SOMETHING. The Business Journal comes out tomorrow too, so maybe they will have something on it.