Colorado Springs annexing 'No Man's Land' gap along West Colorado Avenue

Nov. 7—Colorado Springs is working to close a gap, nicknamed "No Man's Land," between the existing city boundary and Manitou Springs along West Colorado Avenue.

The unincorporated stretch of Colorado Avenue joining the city starts just east of Ridge Road and runs into Manitou's town boundary west of Columbia Road. It's a stretch that serves several aging motels, a liquor store and Amanda's Cantina and Fonda, a popular Mexican restaurant. It also includes a parcel that runs along Fountain Creek.

Private properties were not included in this annexation, but they have the option to come into the city later if they choose.

The Colorado Springs City Council recently approved the annexation on first reading without discussion and will likely approve it again on Tuesday.

"It's always been (an) odd area," said Leo Knudson, a member of the Old Colorado City Historical Society.

Old Colorado City was laid out from 13th Street to 31st Street and beyond 31st was an unincorporated area of El Paso County, Knudson said. Street cars that ran from Colorado Springs through Old Colorado City and into Manitou later helped encourage development in that area, he said.

Now that the city is annexing the strip of Colorado Avenue, he hopes to see additional city investment to address the blight in the area. For example, along the portion of road coming into the city, The Maverick Motel is closed and the Mecca Motel is for sale. The two motels were both built in the 1930s and are among a string of older motels along West Colorado Avenue.

"Some have some unique architecture to them and some, not so much so," Knudson said.

Mayor John Suthers said he made the annexation a priority to ensure that businesses and residents in the area have a consistent response from city police and not a combination of responses from Manitou Springs police, county sheriff's deputies and city officers through intergovernmental agreements. The vision for better law enforcement response was put in motion by former City Councilman Merv Bennett.

The Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority's 1-cent sales tax paid for recent upgrades to the area including new sidewalks and gutters and this is a natural next step, Suthers said.

"It has been a sentiment for years that something had to happen with no man's land," he said.

Bringing in land along the creek will also make it clear that Colorado Springs police have jurisdiction to enforce no camping rules, he said.

Redevelopment of private properties could be supported by the city's Urban Renewal Authority, if a developer approached the authority, Suthers said.

Some private property owners have also already agreed to future annexation and will receive city utility service when they enter city limits, city spokeswoman Vanessa Zink said.

A manager with Amanda's, Tony Cabral, said law enforcement response to the restaurant, outside city limits, has always been prompt and problems with people asking for money or work have receded with the closure of the Maverick Motel across the street.

He hopes redevelopment in the area could draw in more people and business for the restaurant, who otherwise just pass through, he said.

This story has been updated to clarify that the Mecca Motel is for sale, but not permanently closed. It is closed for the season.