COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — While Colorado Springs voters weigh whether to annex almost 2,000 acres east of the city over the next week, the commander of Schriever Space Force Base outlined the risks of encroachment around the base and the need for affordable housing for service members in a letter to local leaders.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, about 6,500 single-family homes and a business district could be built on the prairie northwest of the intersection of Bradley and Curtis roads as part of the Karman Line annexation, over three miles outside existing city limits along Bradley Road.
At the closest point, the proposed development is 1.5 miles from the city limits. The new neighborhood's boundary could be less than half a mile from Schriever at its closest point, the El Paso County Assessor's map shows.
While Klock cannot take a position on any development proposal, he did detail some of the risks of encroachment, history of the base, and needs of current service members, including affordable housing and child care, in the letter and response to Gazette questions.
“When families are supported through affordable housing, quality child care, and a strong community, our service members can focus on their space missions, knowing their loved ones are safe, stable, and thriving,” he said.
Schriever’s original mission came to the Pikes Peak region from Sunnyvale, Calif., because it was incompatible with commercial development and encroachment, Klock said. Sunnyvale also could not accept expanding missions.
“Schriever Space Force Base's location was strategically chosen in the 1980s for its horizon-to-horizon satellite tracking, isolation from urban growth, and ability to support expanding DOD space programs,” Klock said.
He went on to say that development in the surrounding area could pose numerous risks.
These risks include electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. Satellites are controlled through electromagnetic waves because they move through the vacuum of space.
The electromagnetic spectrum is a physical domain that can be managed, occupied, and selectively controlled. It is also facing pressure from the private sector with the expansion of mobile phones and Wi-Fi. For example, a 2021 Congressional Research Service Report said the domain could be disrupted by the expansion of 5G cellular networks.
Development could bring other risks such as “horizon and physical obstruction, ambient noise, and vibration,” Klock said. Additional traffic that could pose safety risks is also a factor for consideration.
Balancing the need for growth and problems with encroachment will require collaboration, he said in response to questions.
"We remain committed to transparent dialogue with community stakeholders to ensure future planning protects both national security and the well-being of the Pikes Peak Region," he said in the letter.
Eli Bremer, a Karman Line development partner, said that as a former Air Force officer who served at Schriever, he understands the experience of service members and their need for housing and services closer to their workplace. He also worked with the base on designs for the development.
“The military was completely involved with this as much was appropriate and proper and legal,” Bremer said.
If voters approve the Karman Line, development is expected to start as close to Schriever as possible to alleviate the base's need for housing, he said.
As more of the Schriever workforce lives near the base, that could also help alleviate traffic along Colorado 94, a narrow, two-lane state highway, he said.
If the base leadership had raised any concern, Bremer said, his team would have addressed it.
Klock said in response to questions from The Gazette that an exchange of information about a project is not an endorsement.
"While we support responsible growth in the region, any suggestion that we have endorsed a specific project or development is inaccurate," he said.
Rather, military leadership is involved under a Colorado law that requires installations to be involved in any projects within 2 miles of their boundaries to ensure the development remains compatible with national security missions.
Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corp. CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer said that her organization welcomes opportunities to work with the bases to address encroachment issues and the need for affordable housing and child care. But developers need more specifics about how to mitigate concerns about encroachment.
"We are not getting specifics about encroachment issues, so we can work with the bases," she said.
The local Military Affairs Council, now separate from the Chamber, declined to comment.
Karman is not the only development seeking to serve Schriever. Flying Horse East could feature nearly 5,000 homes, in addition to some businesses, directly north of Schriever along Colorado 94. The county's planning commission is scheduled to review the sketch plan for the project on June 19.
Keith Klaehn, with the local and all-volunteer Defense Mission Task Force, presented on development encroaching around military bases last year in front of the El Paso County Planning Commission, where he noted that the Department of Defense does not have the money to buy up land to buffer all its bases, so it is an important issue for local communities to watch.
One concern nationally is foreign investment around bases, particularly Chinese investment, Klaehn said.
In late 2024, the federal government started requiring a review of real estate transactions for a 100-mile radius around Schriever to monitor for concerning foreign investment. The change increased the review radius from 1 mile.
Colorado Springs voters have until 7 p.m. on June 17 to turn in their ballots regarding the Karman Line annexation. The city had seen a 14% turnout, or about 47,000 ballots, returned as of Monday night. The southeast district of the city, closest to the annexation, also has had the lowest turnout so far, with about 7% of ballots submitted.
The Gazette's Mary Shinn contributed to this web story.
___
Person hospitalized after possible road rage shooting, another person detained
Police are investigating a shooting on the northeast side of Colorado Springs. It happened just before 7 p.m. on Austin Bluffs Parkway, near the North Academy Boulevard intersection.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
