COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Homeowners in the Marksheffel Road area are voicing concerns about a proposed apartment complex. The Copper Station Multi-Family Project would include 330 affordable housing units on a plot of land between Graphite Drive and Zircon Drive. The proposal is being made by Inland Group, a development company based out of Spokane, Washington.
The Enclaves at Mountain Vista is located directly behind the property developers are looking to build on. Pat Glazener has lived in the neighborhood since 2019. She says her biggest concern is how much more traffic an apartment would bring to the area.
"I'm not worried about the people so much, just the safety factor,” Glazener said. “You have 330 units, maybe one car a piece, but most people have two cars. So, then you got 600 cars."
According to developers, the complex would be for individuals and families that earn up to 60% of the area median income. They say if a person is working full time, that would be about $32/hour or $67,000/year. If the project moves forward, construction would begin February 2027.
Glazener, alongside many of her neighbors, already consider Marksheffel dangerous to drive on. Robert Maniatis does not believe the road is equip to handle more drivers.
“That’s going to almost triple the vehicle traffic that these roads really weren’t built to handle,” Maniatis said. “It’s hard enough on this area right now with the traffic going north and south and we’re adding to that.”
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The Enclaves at Mountain Vista residents use Graphite Drive or Zircon Drive to access Marksheffel Road. As of now, Graphite and Zircon would also serve as entrance and exit points to the apartment. Rick Mendoza says, with only stop signs, the area is already difficult to get in and out of.
“To me it’s the speed and it’s the accidents that can happen,” Mendoza said. “We already had a couple of accidents, people perished.”
On January 16th, a fatal crash closed Marksheffel Road near Peterson Space Force Base. One person was killed. On January 28th, two more people were killed in a crash at the intersection of North Marksheffel and North Carefree Circle.
In early March, developers held a pre-submittal neighborhood meeting to present their proposal to residents and listen to concerns. Residents who live within 1,000 feet of the property were notified. Many in attendance shared the same concerns as Glazener, worried about excess traffic.
According to developers, Inland Group is under contract to purchase the property. The City of Colorado Springs tells News5 that developers have not submitted an application to the city yet.
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com.
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