Southeast Strong Community Plan

The first plan under the Neighborhood Planning Program will be the Southeast Community Plan. This Community Plan will draw on the goals and visions of PlanCOS and interpret them into area, neighborhood, and site-specific discussions and recommendations. This Community Plan is anticipated to be an overall plan for the physical development of the land while also incorporating transportation planning, public safety, economic development, climate resiliency, and healthy community planning.

Supporting Documents:

• Map of Southeast Plan Boundaries
• Southeast Strong Health Assessment
• Environmental Studies, Colorado College Air Pollution in Southeast Report
• Environmental Studies, Colorado College Food Security in the Southeast Report
• Environmental Studies, Colorado College Urban Heat Island and Green Space in the Southeast Report
• University of Colorado Denver Capstone Urban Heat Island in the Southeast Report

• 2021 South Academy Blvd Corridor Progress and Measures Report

Profile:

• Land: 4,835 acres (402 are vacant land)
• Population: 36,098
• Housing Units: 13,123
  • Owned: 6,382
  • Rented: 5,840

Compared with the City of Colorado Springs as a whole, southeast Colorado Springs has a higher incidence of poverty, a markedly lower life expectancy, and less access to healthy foods. It is also the hottest area of our City, with the least amount of tree cover, and therefore most vulnerable to the emerging impacts of climate change. Although these topics have been discussed and addressed in other plans, including a 2018 Healthy Places Urban Land Institute Report, and in ongoing community initiatives such as the RISE Coalition, data for these topics have not been systematically assessed for inclusion in actionable land use master plan. To help measure and inform plan recommendations, a Health Assessment of the plan boundary is being prepared. This Health Assessment looks at resident health, healthy food access, and climate resiliency, and establish a set of indicators that can be continuously measured for progress.