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A proposal to develop 98 single-family homes southwest of Bradley Road in Security has received the blessing of the El Paso County Planning Commission. It will go before the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 20.

The County Planning Commission voted 8-0 on Dec. 1 to approve the request for the Haven Valley Planned Unit Development (PUD) of various home sizes on just under 12 acres along Cable Lane.

The currently vacant land sits adjacent to Calvary Fellowship Fountain Valley, Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, and the residential neighborhoods of Pheasant Ranch Run, Windmill Creek and Elm Grove Village Townhomes. The streets bordering this site include Cable Lane and Hunters Run, with access from Bradley Road via Alturas Drive near Pikes Peak Christian Church.

Several residents from that neighborhood spoke to planning commissioners about their concerns, including increased traffic, limited access points, housing values, and the possibility of losing their views of the mountains.

"I believe the lot sizes and streets are too small and that you are setting that area up to be a 'slum' of sorts," Kenneth Duncan wrote in an opposition letter. He pleaded with officials to require larger lot sizes, or at the very least ensure strict standards for property maintenance and appearance.

Tammy Barlow argued that it's already difficult for vehicles to get out onto Bradley Road, especially on Sundays due to church traffic and on weekdays when school traffic is coming and going.

"It's hard, and that's without this 98 more homes in that area," she said.

Barlow said that 98 homes on this site is "overkill" and "greed." She also noted concern about a small park just adjacent to this site, and worried about kids playing there dealing with the extra traffic.

Susan Spencer is another resident who wrote a letter in opposition, saying she's concerned about the impact of construction on wildlife and storm drainage. She also questioned why there's no proposal for a traffic signal at Alturas and Bradley, site of Pikes Peak Christian Church and Security Fire Station No. 3, and also an outlet for nearby French Elementary and residential neighborhoods.

Andrea Barlow with the planning firm NES spoke on behalf of the applicant and addressed some of these concerns. She said the existing traffic counts combined with the addition from this development "doesn't even come close" to meeting the requirements for another signal. Traffic from the development will not have the same peak traffic as the school and churches, she said. School is only a small window of time twice a day. The projection for Haven Valley is one vehicle trip every two minutes during the peak hour.

Views and property values are not a consideration per the code, she said, adding that she anticipates the new homes to add value. She said developers can work with neighbors on the types of trees used as buffer to minimize impact on views. The houses will be 30-foot maximum height, two-story, similar in height to area homes.

Andrea Barlow said there may be constraints for on-street parking due to narrow streets, but there will be some street parking available. Homes will have two-car garages and driveways, also with room for two vehicles.

A previous and similar PUD called Patriot Village was approved in 2007; the overall housing density remains unchanged at 8.33 dwelling units per acre. The Patriot Village plan called for attached homes -- two lots sharing one common boundary -- while the current plan proposes single-family detached product. Lot sizes are increasing slightly, ranging from 2,989-4,307 square feet, with the larger lots along the southern boundary. According to the proposal, "the change in the type of residential product and the larger lots proposed by the current plans for Haven Valley provide and improved compatibility and transition to the 6,000-square-foot lots in the adjacent to the Pheasant Ranch Run single-family subdivision."

Two full-movement access points onto Cable Lane are proposed. The roads within the development will be private. Following construction, a Haven Valley Home Owners Association will responsible for maintenance.

The proposed plan depicts a 15-foot buffer and cedar fence on the south and east boundaries adjacent to existing detached single-family lots. The plan also depicts apocket park in the northeast corner of the development.

Commissioners voted 8-0 to send the proposal on to the Board of County Commissioners. Planning Commission Chair Brian Risley said he appreciated neighbors' concerns but that he believed infill projects like this – as long as they're done "smartly" – can be superior to "carving up additional land east of town."

County Commissioners will consider the proposal on Dec. 20. That meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the Citizens Service Center, 1675 Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs, Room 117.

If the BoCC approves the plan, the applicants likely will request administrative approval by the Planning and Community Development Department Executive Director of all subsequent final plats.

No start date for building has been identified, and no builder has been retained yet.