Title
A Development Plan for a Tiny House Community consisting of 18 tiny homes, community building, and resident storage building in the R-Flex High zone district consisting of 0.78 acres (34,048 square feet) located at 3103 North Prospect Street.
(Quasi-Judicial)
Presenter:
William Gray, Senior Planner, City Planning Department
Kevin Walker, Director, City Planning Department
Body
Summary:
Owner: We Fortify
Representative: John Olson, Urban Landscapes and Shelly Jensen, We Fortify
Location: 3103 North Prospect Street
Council District 5
A Tiny House Community consisting of 18 tiny houses, a community meeting and storage building, off-street parking, landscaping, and private green space. The project includes the following applications: a Rezoning from R-5 (Multi-Family High) to R-Flex High; a Conditional Use and Development Plan for a Tiny House Community; and development standard adjustments to reduce setbacks from public streets from 20-feet to 10-feet, setbacks from adjacent residential and mixed-use districts from 10-feet to 5-feet, parking requirement reduction from one (1) space per tiny house to a 1/2-space per tiny house, minimum lot area per tiny house from 1,000 square feet to 690 square feet, and minimum separation of Tiny Homes from 10-feet to 6-feet
Background:
Please see the attached City Planning Commission Staff Report for a complete analysis of the proposed applications.
Review Criteria:
DEPN-24-0123 - Prospect Village (Development Plan)
The Review Criteria for DEPN-24-0123, Development Plan, as set forth in City Code Section (UDC) 7.5.515.D.1 are indicated below:
a. The decision-making criteria in Section 7.5.409 (General Criteria for Approval) apply unless modified by this Subsection 4; and
b. The application complies with all applicable Use-specific standards in Part 7.3.3 related to the proposed use(s); and
c. The details of the site design, building location, orientation, and exterior building materials are compatible and harmonious with the surrounding neighborhood, buildings, and uses, including not-yet-developed uses identified in approved Development Plans; and
d. Significant off-site impacts reasonably anticipated because of the project are mitigated or offset to the extent proportional and practicable; and
e. The Development Plan substantially complies with any City-adopted plans that are applicable to the site, such as Land Use Plans, approved master plans for a specific development, neighborhood plans, corridor plans, facilities plans, urban renewal plans, or design manuals; and
f. The project meets dimensional standards applicable to the zone district, or any applicable requirement in an FBZ or PDZ district; and
g. The project grading, drainage, flood protection, stormwater quality, and stormwater mitigation comply with the City’s Engineering Criteria, the drainage report prepared for the project on file with the Stormwater Enterprise Manager, and other federal, state, and City regulations; and
h. The project complies with all the development standards of Article 7.4 (Development Standards and Incentives), including access and connectivity requirements in Part 7.4.4 (Access and Connectivity), the landscaping and green space requirements in Part 7.4.9 (Landscaping and Green Space), and the parking and loading requirements in Part 7.4.10 (Parking and Loading); and
i. The project complies with all applicable requirements of any Overlay District in which the property is located, as listed in Part 7.2.6 (Overlay Districts); and
j. The project preserves, protects, integrates, or mitigates impacts to any identified sensitive or natural features associated with this site.
k. The project connects to or extends adequate public utilities to the site. As required by Colorado Springs Utilities, the project will extend the utilities to connect to surrounding properties; and
l. If necessary to address increased impacts on existing roadways and intersections, the project includes roadway and intersection improvements to provide for safe and efficient movement of multi-modal traffic, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles in accordance with the Engineering Criteria, public safety needs for ingress and egress and a city accepted traffic impact study, if required, prepared for the project.
The City Planning Staff finds the Review Criteria of UDC Section 7.5.515.D.1 applicable to a Development Plan are met with this application.
Previous Council Action:
N/A
Financial Implications:
N/A
City Council Appointed Board/Commission/Committee Recommendation:
City Planning Commission, at their March 12, 2025, meeting voted unanimously (6-0) to approve each of the applications related to Prospect Village - A Tiny House Community. Vice Chair Foos and Commissioners Cecil and Casey were absent from this meeting. The applications reviewed by the Planning Commission with a recommendation of approval to City Council are as follows:
ZONE-24-0017 Zone Map Amendment (Rezoning) R-5 to R-Flex High
CUDP-24-0014 Conditional Use Tiny House Community Land Use
DEPN-24-0123 Development Plan Tiny House Community Development
DVSA-25-0001 Development Standards Adjustment Tiny Home Minimum Lot Area
DVSA-24-0004 Development Standards Adjustment Separation from Adjacent Residential
DVSA-24-0005 Development Standards Adjustment Separation from Public Right-of-Way
DVSA-24-0006 Development Standards Adjustment Tiny Home Parking
DVSA-24-0011 Development Standards Adjustment Tiny Home Separation
Two (2) citizens spoke, one (1) in-support and the other opposed the applications. The testimony in support expressed a desire for the project to serve seniors in the community and thought it would be a good fit in the neighborhood. The comment in opposition to the application stated strongly that the application needed to be developed in accordance with the standards and requirements of the R-5 zoning district. Please refer to the minutes from the hearing for a detailed record.
Recommended Action
Proposed Motions:
DEPN-24-0123 - Prospect Village (Development Plan)
1. Motion to Approve
Approve the Prospect Village - A Tiny House Community Development Plan located at 3103 North Prospect Street based upon the findings that the request complies with the Criteria for Approval for a Development Plan as set forth in City Code Section 7.5.515.D.1, with the following conditions:
1. An approved Final Drainage Letter is provided.
2. Add note to the Development Plan under the Project Description subheading stating:
The Tiny House Community, its owner, heirs and assigns shall limit the occupancy of each tiny home to residents with a household income that is at or below 50% Area Median Income.
3. A completed Geologic Hazard Study Not Applicable Form is provided.
4. Add a note regarding fire access to the Development Plan stating:
An all-weather reflective sign with white background and red reflective letters will be provided on the gate that indicates "Fire Department Access".
5. Add a note regarding the existing well to the Development Plan stating:
Use of the existing ground water well will require an augmentation plan with Colorado Springs Utilities and the water would be metered and billed at an augmentation rate. There is no guarantee that an augmentation plan would be approved by Colorado Springs Utilities.
6. Relocate and/or modify water and wastewater service lines to meet horizontal separation requirements for Tiny House No. 4, 9, 8, 10 and 11.
7. All City Review Agency comments are fully addressed.
2. Motion to Deny
Deny the Prospect Village - A Tiny House Community Development Plan located at 3103 North Prospect Street based upon the findings that the request does not comply with the Criteria for Approval for a Development Plan as set forth in City Code Section 7.5.515.D.1.
Summary of Ordinance Language
An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Colorado Springs relating to 0.78 acres located at 3103 North Prospect Street from R-5 (Multi-Family High) to R-Flex High.