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YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR?
Support childcare. Protect neighborhoods. Keep your voice.
See City Documents here.
"Would you want an unlimited commercial use next door?"
Last Chance to Speak Up — City Council Hearing (Agenda Item 10D)
📍 Colorado Springs City Hall
📅 Tuesday, May 26
⏰ Recommended to arrive by 10:30am per City Council Staff
Colorado Springs needs more day care options. The question is not whether day care is important.
The question is: Should large commercial daycare facilities become automatically allowed in residential neighborhoods without meaningful public review?
Speak before the decision is made. This Isn't About Opposing Daycare
Colorado Springs faces a major childcare shortage, and families need more options. The City itself recognizes childcare access as a significant issue.
Many residents support:
✔ Home-based daycare
✔ Small neighborhood day care centers
✔ Reuse of churches and underused commercial spaces
✔ Affordable childcare solutions
Historic Neighborhood Partnership (HNP) stated support for expanded day care opportunities while opposing unlimited-scale commercial daycare operations in residential neighborhoods.
Read HNP's Analysis here.
The Concern: Day Care Centers in Residential Neighborhoods Would Become "Permitted Use By Right"
The proposal expands daycare uses into residential districts and changes uses into "permitted use by right."
What does that mean?
Instead of asking: "Is this compatible with this neighborhood?"
the question largely becomes: "Does the site meet technical requirements?"
Use by right removes:
• Public hearings
• Compatibility review
and minimizes:
• Neighborhood input
and changes:
• Appeal opportunities
Historic Neighborhood Partnership (HNP) raised concerns that a permitted-by-right
approach removes meaningful public participation.
Scale Matters
There is a major difference between:
Small neighborhood childcare
-
Home daycare
-
Small centers
-
Neighborhood-scale operations
AND
-
Large commercial facilities
-
Increased drop-off traffic
-
Additional parking demand
-
Service and delivery activity
-
Greater operational intensity
HNP specifically distinguished between small neighborhood daycare
and large commercial-scale facilities.
Why Existing Neighborhoods Are Concerned
Many homes along collector and arterial streets could bear a disproportionate impact.
Neighborhood concerns raised include:
🚗 Traffic and congestion
🚘 Parking spillover
🔊 Noise
🧒 Increased operational activity
🏘 Neighborhood character changes
Residents often purchased homes expecting residential neighborhoods to remain primarily residential in nature.
City Council Hearing – Agenda Item 10D
📍 Colorado Springs City Hall
📅 Tuesday, May 26
⏰ Recommended to arrive by 10:30am per City Council Staff
This is the public's last opportunity to speak before City Council makes a final decision.
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Subject: Please Support Childcare Access While Preserving Neighborhood Compatibility and Public Process
Dear Mayor and Members of City Council,
I support increasing childcare opportunities in Colorado Springs and recognize that access and affordability are important community needs. I also support home-based daycare and small neighborhood daycare centers. However, I respectfully ask Council to reject allowing large commercial-scale daycare centers as a permitted by-right use throughout residential zoning districts.
There is a meaningful distinction between small neighborhood daycare and large commercial operations. Scale matters, intensity matters, and compatibility matters. Large commercial facilities can generate increased traffic, parking demands, delivery activity, and operational intensity that may not be appropriate in residential neighborhoods.
I am also concerned about replacing conditional use review with permitted-by-right approvals. Conditional use review preserves public notice, hearings, compatibility review, transparency, and the ability for residents to participate in decisions affecting their neighborhoods. This is not an all-or-nothing issue. A balanced approach can expand childcare opportunities while preserving neighborhood character and citizen participation.
Please support:
• Home daycare and small neighborhood daycare centers
• Adaptive reuse of churches, schools, and underutilized commercial spaces
• Conditional use review where compatibility concerns exist
Please do not remove meaningful public participation for large commercial uses in residential neighborhoods.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Neighborhood Name]