County hopes to kickstart mothballed housing projects

Local builders may not be ready to take on residential developments at the same frenetic pace they did during the housing boom, but county officials want to help them move forward on at least a portion of approved projects that were mothballed when the economy caved in 2008.

On Thursday, El Paso County commissioners will consider a proposal to allow developers to phase in construction of roads, parks, drainage systems and other infrastructure requirements based on the number of houses they plan to build. Otherwise, they’d have to provide the infrastructure for their entire development plan, even if they’re building only five houses.

“We’re looking at this just to provide some type of incentive to get the construction industry going,” says County Administrator Jeff Greene. “It allows developers to pay as you go.”

County officials authorized the break on infrastructure development about two years ago, and it expired at the end of 2011. It didn’t exactly light a fire under the building industry at the time — but only because the business climate wasn’t right, said Kyle Campbell, immediate past president of the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs.

Now, developers of three projects — Paint Brush Hills, Falcon Highlands and The Glen at Widefield — are interested in moving forward with a portion of their projects, and are waiting for commissioners to approve the phasing resolution, said Max Rothschild, director of the county’s Development Services Department.

“I think there’s more activity from builders right now,” Rothschild said. “That’s why we think it’s a program that needs to be extended.”

Kari Parsons, a planner in Rothschild’s department, said 17 projects of 20 lots or more have been approved, but are idle. Together, they encompass about 2,250 single-family and townhome lots.

Rothschild said the break would apply to developments approved before 2010, and would expire Dec. 31, 2013. Several projects go back to 2005, and were approved for hundreds of lots at a time when the market was more favorable. Now, developing them piecemeal may be the only feasible way to proceed.

“If those 500 lot subdivisions are not allowed to move forward in phases, they wouldn’t happen,” Campbell said.

Rothschild and other county officials also said that if even a fraction of the lots is developed, it would still benefit the regional economy through job creation and development fees.
“This puts everybody to work again: carpenters, plumbers, electricians,” Rothschild said. “We think it’s a win-win for everybody.”
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