'The key piece': Pueblo's Westgate Guardians seek funding for 18th Street extension
Real estate developers are seeking Pueblo City Council's approval of a $1.5 million award for a "key piece" needed to develop Pueblo's west side.
Council will decide during its Dec. 12 regular meeting whether to award funding to extend W. 18th Street from Perry to Sun Mountain Park avenues.
The planned extension would run through the incoming Westgate Chamberlain Subdivision, which will feature about 440 new homes in an area west of the Chavez Huerta K-12 Preparatory Academy campus.
Chavez Huerta expansion:Chavez Huerta proposes 73,501 square-foot high school expansion to Pueblo P&Z
Real estate developers Pueblo Development and LifeStyle Development have partnered with Chavez Huerta to form the Westgate Guardian Trio to advocate for the extension and several other development projects on the west side. LifeStyle Development and Pueblo Development will begin construction of the Westgate Chamberlain Subdivision once the 18th Street extension is completed.
"Eighteenth Street has always been the key piece ... it creates another window into the community," said Jack Bay, chief business officer at Chavez Huerta.
The city of Pueblo anticipates an extension of 18th Street would give west side residents quicker access to Pueblo Boulevard and stimulate development within the extension, said Andrew Hayes, the city's director of public works.
"When you have some of the roads already provided and built, that means other private projects are more viable," Hayes said. "They don't have to put in as much infrastructure to make them work. This is definitely something that is going to help spur some growth on the west side."
Bay expects the 18th Street extension to improve first responder access to the Chavez Huerta campus and significantly increase the size of Chavez Huerta's student body.
A recent Westgate Guardians presentation to city council claimed the pending subdivision potentially could increase the school's enrollment by "600 to 800" students.
Chavez Huerta has planned for the expected student influx with a proposed expansion of Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School, among other projects.
Ersilia Cruz Middle School students moved out of modular classrooms to a "transitional" building behind Dolores Huerta in August. By 2024, Chavez Huerta plans to relocate Ersilia Cruz students to a 53,540 square-foot addition to the Dolores Huerta building while the transitional building becomes a permanent Cesar Chavez Academy for elementary school students.
Superfund Cleanup:EPA expects to finish residential cleanup of Colorado Smelter Superfund Site by spring 2024
Dolores Huerta also will see an increase in capacity with a 20,000-square-foot expansion. Construction crews plan to break ground on the Dolores Huerta and 18th Street expansions in January 2023.
"When it's all said and done, we will end up with a capacity for about 1,800 students," Bay said during a Dec. 5 presentation to city council.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Westgate Guardians seek city funding for 18th Street extension
