Title
Ordinance No. 22-07 amending Section 112 (Sitting or Lying in Commercial Districts) of Article 2 (Offenses Affecting Public Safety) of Chapter 9 (Public Offenses) of the City Code
Presenter:
Commander John Koch, Colorado Springs Police Department
Anne Turner, Assistant City Attorney - Litigation/Employment
Body
Summary:
The proposed amendment would expand the geographic boundaries of the ordinance that prohibits sitting or lying down in commercial districts to newly developed areas of the city, helping ensure the public rights of way are accessible to pedestrians, recreationists, and vehicles in such areas.
Background:
City Code ? 9.2.112 prohibits people from sitting, lying, reclining or kneeling on streets, sidewalks, trails, and other structures in the right-of-way during certain times of day in defined areas of downtown Colorado Springs and Old Colorado City. Its purpose is to maintain public rights-of-way for their designed purpose as thoroughfares for pedestrian, recreational and vehicular travel in areas with concentrations of civic, commercial, historic, residential and/or recreational properties that attract a large number of people.
The Downtown Commercial District subject to the ordinance is currently defined as the area within St. Vrain Street on the north, Cimarron Street on the south, Wahsatch Avenue on the east, and Interstate Highway 25 on the west.
The proposed amendment generally would expand the northern boundary to E. Cache La Poudre Street and the southern boundary to W. Cheyenne Road. The boundaries of the proposed amendment are depicted in a map contained within the proposed ordinance.
Business owners, residents and visitors have complained about people engaging in the prohibited conduct in the proposed expanded areas. New developments in central Colorado Springs, including Robson Arena, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Weidner Field and the South Nevada corridor, have brought an increase in pedestrian, recre...
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