Some fixes already on way, say developers

Developers won’t necessarily change the way they build housing subdivisions, shopping centers and the like because of a preliminary federal report recommending ways to safeguard Fountain Creek, some said Friday.

Detention ponds, wetland preservation, open space and other methods suggested in the new Army Corps of Engineers report are already used by developers to control stormwater runoff or are on the drawing boards as part of future projects, they said.

What’s unclear is whether recommendations in the preliminary report would ask developers to go beyond what they’re already doing and at what cost.

On the massive, 21,400-acre Banning Lewis Ranch development that makes up most of Colorado Springs’ east side, where developers envision building 75,000 homes over the next 50 years or so, more than 20 detention ponds are planned, said John Cassiani, a vice president with Californiabased developer Banning Lewis Ranch Management Co.

“We know where they will go, how deep, how big,” Cassiani said. “You’re going to see monster ponds in a drainage basin that will take care of all of these issues.”

Cassiani said he was only vaguely familiar with the Army Corps of Engineers report. Such reports typically require a public process in which developers, local government officials and other interested parties have an opportunity to make suggestions.

In any case, he said he doubts the final report would result in drastic changes in how land is developed.

“We’re looking at wetland mitigation, construction of retention and detention ponds and what we can to capture heavy storm runoff to not allow the flow uncontrolled into both Jimmy Camp Creek and eventually into Fountain Creek,” Cassiani said. “Everything we’re doing in our design is taking this into consideration.”

Doug Stimple, chief executive officer with Classic Cos., the Springs-based homebuilder and development company, also said he was only generally familiar with the corps’ report. Classic is one of the city’s largest real estate firms; it’s built thousands of homes and its development interests include the 1,500-acre Flying Horse project on the Springs’ far north side and a planned redevelopment of southwest downtown.

Some of the safeguards described in the corps’ report have been implemented through federal clean water rules and local government regulations, he said. Developers already use detention ponds, open space, grading techniques and erosion-control measures, Stimple said.

Ultimately, he said, any recommendations need to be put to a cost-benefit test to determine what’s reasonable and what’s not.

“Any legitimate issue that comes up, you have a range of solutions,” Stimple said. “They range from the modest to the extreme. I don’t have enough information to know where this solution falls.”

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