The School District 11 Board of Education is mulling an agreement with the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority to help finance two separate development projects within the district. One would create workforce housing in the Lowell neighborhood east of Nevada Avenue and south of East Fountain Boulevard, while the other would look to help finance the proposed downtown skyscraper project that would serve as a mixed-use residential and commercial development. The sites for both proposed projects are vacant.
During a work session Wednesday night, Urban Renewal Authority Executive Director Jariah Walker, along with representatives of One VeLa and the O’Neill Group presented the board with information on both projects. The Lowell neighborhood project, referred to as the Bristow and Lowell Commons, would create just under 400 units intended as workforce housing across two new buildings. Rental options for one- and two-bed and studio apartments would range from $1,300 to $2,400 a month per unit with total construction costs of approximately $128 million.
How the school district specifically would benefit, representatives contended, would be through increased options for attainable housing for both new potential families and students, along with the district’s own workforce, who currently struggle to find affordable housing. D-11 Superintendent Michael Gaal agreed, saying there was “only an upside” for them with this proposal. “Every type of employee group that works in .
