Back on track: Cedar Heights' revival serves as lesson

Million-dollar homes and priceless views make Cedar Heights one of the more desirable places to live in the Pikes Peak region.

But posh hasn’t always meant problem-free.

A decade ago, the nearly 1,000-acre community that sits above Garden of the Gods on Colorado Springs’ far west side was home to one of the more contentious neighborhood-developer disputes in recent city history. Road problems led to a homeowner revolt and stalled development.

Today, after years of squabbling, development is back on track. For the first time in 15 years, Cedar Heights is part of the Parade of Homes, the annual Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs event that showcases local home construction.

But why should anyone outside of Cedar Heights residents and homeowner wannabes care? After all, most Springs-area residents can’t visit Cedar Heights because it’s gated, let alone afford to live there — although not every house is a mansion and some carry prices found in Rockrimmon, Briargate and other parts of town.

What’s important, residents and developers say, is that Cedar Heights’ revival serves as a lesson: Neighborhoods can move beyond their problems and prosper.

“It is possible, through good communications, through people who are willing to want to work together, to totally turn it around,” said Springs custom builder Larry Nichols, who’s constructed homes in Cedar Heights since the mid 1980s.

In the late 1990s, Cedar Heights residents and longtime local developer Steve Schuck squared off in a bitter fight over road conditions in the hillside area. A homeowner lawsuit alleged that poor construction practices had led to crumbling roads, while Schuck and others involved in the development countersued and complained the dispute was hurting home sales.

The flap raised questions over whether Cedar Heights would ever become the premier housing area that was envisioned when another developer launched the project in 1982.

The lawsuit was settled in 2000, and millions of dollars were spent on 10 major road projects over the next several years.

But development remained soft until about 2007, as roadwork was completed.

Now, Cedar Heights has about 180 homes; there’s room for a total of about 300. Schuck has 26 home sites left, while Nichols and partner Claude Comito bought land two years ago and are developing about 50 lots in two new portions of Cedar Heights. Three Cedar Heights homes will be part of this year’s Parade of Homes.

But settling the lawsuit and fixing roads weren’t the only significant changes. Schuck and Nichols credit new members of the Cedar Heights Community Association board with abandoning the hard-line tactics of predecessors and creating a cooperative spirit among themselves and with developers.

Ben Kuckel, the community association’s president, said many residents want to focus on maintaining and improving the area’s quality of life instead of wallowing in its past problems. Cedar Heights covers 990 acres, which includes several hundred acres of open space and trails.

The area’s community association maintains the parks and roads with dues collected from residents.

The City Council has recognized residents in recent years for their work with the Colorado Springs Fire Department; Cedar Heights sits next to the Pike National Forest, and homeowners have worked to remove dead trees and shrubs near homes and in open spaces.

In April, several residents participated with local public safety officials to produce an educational video on how to evacuate an area in case of a disaster.

“We were a divisive community 10 years ago,” Kuckel said. “Now, we’re fully united.”

AT A GLANCE

The 2009 Parade of Homes — which offers a glimpse of new homes and furnishings in neighborhoods around the Pikes Peak region — begins today and runs through Aug. 23. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and are available at area Safeway stores. For information, call the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs at 592-1800. A list of builders, home locations and maps are available at www.cshba.com; click on the Parade of Homes icon.