About the Plan
The Mill Street Neighborhood Plan was adopted by City Council on February 12, 2019.
Mill Street, the historic neighborhood just south of downtown, is seeing changes in every direction. The City of Colorado Springs Community Development Division has partnered with the Mill Street residents and business owners to help the neighborhood build its blueprint for a resilient future.
In Fall 2017, a City and resident-chaired panel hired the Colorado-based planning firm Design Workshop to prepare a plan that reflects the community's vision for the future. The Mill Street Neighborhood Plan is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Process Goal
Through the inclusive and consensus building process, the Neighborhood Plan will set the stage for the future of the historic Mill Street community to be a thriving, dynamic place that celebrates its diversity and historic past.
Study Area
- Download or view a PDF of the study area map (updated September 2018)
References
In addition to reviewing all adjacent and relevant plans affecting the Mill Street area, we have paid close attention to previous documents produced with and by the neighborhood residents.
Timeline
The planning team has reviewed all relevant plans and heard from several stakeholders via listening sessions, surveys, interviews, and community meetings. The final plan was submitted for City approval in the fall of 2018. City Council adopted the Plan unanimously at the February 12, 2019 City Council Meeting. Please subscribe for updates by emailing Catherine Duarte at catherine.duarte@coloradosprings.gov
- Project kickoff: Sept 2017
- Inventory and analysis: Oct/Nov 2017
- Informal listening sessions: Nov 2017
- Developing recommendations: Dec 2017- March 2018
- Neighborhood interviews: Dec 2017
- Online Survey: Dec 2017/Jan 2018
- Additional stakeholder interviews: Feb 2018
- Community meeting: March 2018
- Plan Documentation: March-May 2018
- Incorporate community meeting feedback: March/April
- More stakeholder meetings: April 2018
- Draft Document for internal and public view: May 2018
- Incorporate feedback from reviews: May/August 2018
- Approval Process: Sept-Feb 2019.
- Downtown Review Board (Oct 2, 2018) – Unanimously endorsed
- City Planning Commission (Oct 18, 2018) – Unanimously approved
- City Council work session (Nov 13, 2018) – Introduce resolution to adopt the Plan
- City Council regular meeting (Nov 27, 2018) – Council votes to delay plan adoption resolution
- City Council regular meeting (Jan 8, 2019) - Council votes to delay plan adoption resolution
- City Council regular meeting (Feb 12, 2019) - Council votes to adopt Mill Street Neighborhood Plan
- Implementation Team Meetings: Feb 2019 - ongoing
- Want to join public employees, local businesses, non-profits, and other stakeholders in turning the Mill Street Neighborhood Plan recommendations into action? Stay tuned for upcoming meetings. Contact catherine.duarte@coloradosprings.gov to be added to the email list.
View the Mill Street Neighborhood Plan
Download Mill Street Neighborhood Plan
Physical copies of the plan draft can be found during regular business hours at:
- Community Development Division office
- 30 S. Nevada Ave. Suite 701
Email comments to Catherine Duarte, project manager, at catherine.duarte@coloradosprings.gov
Approval Process
After a year of community outreach, research, writing, and engagement, the Mill Street Neighborhood Plan began the official review process in October 2018. Please feel free to join us and lend your support at the following upcoming public meetings.
City Council Regular Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 12 – Resolution to approve Mill Street Neighborhood Plan
1:00pm
City Council Chambers, City Hall
107 N. Nevada Ave.
Citizen comment opportunity available. Sign-in at beginning of meeting to address Council. Citizen remarks limited to 3 minutes per person.
Can’t make it to the meeting? Stream the meeting live.
Community Engagement
We are committed to building an inclusive process and hearing all voices. Since the fall of 2017, we have created a variety of ways to hear from residents, business owners, employees, and other interested stakeholders.
Mill Street Community Meeting
Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 6:00 -7:30 pm
Hillside Community Center, 925 S. Institute St.
Approximately 70 residents, property and business owners, and other neighborhood stakeholders gathered to identify goals, priorities, and interests in the future of the historic Mill Street neighborhood. The planning team presented past plan implementation successes and reported current neighborhood conditions and community input they’ve heard so far.
The attendees voted in real time on the themes and different scenarios in the presentation using keypads. A copy of the presentation with the keypad polling results is available below.
The audience also got to interact with and discuss the different themes using idea boards and area maps. A copy of the boards can be found below. Please note that some of these boards and maps will be updated in response to some of the feedback. If you have any questions or comments about them, please direct them to Catherine Duarte at catherine.duarte@coloradosprings.gov
Download Meeting Maps and Boards
Listening Sessions
November 14 – 17, 2017, Various locations
We kicked off the community engagement process with a series of six small group listening sessions comprised of over 70 subject matter experts and community members representing a variety of perspectives. In these sessions, we heard about current conditions and got an initial understanding of key stakeholder concerns and opportunities. The Listening Session topics were:
- Historic Preservation
- Neighborhood Safety: Street Crossings and Crime
- Economic Development and Local Business
- Parks, Trails and Open Space
- Affordable Housing
- Arts and Culture
Mill Street Neighborhood Holiday Party
Saturday, Dec. 9 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Springs Rescue Mission located at 5 W. Las Vegas
Representatives from the City and consultant team introduced the project. Residents had a chance to share their vision and priorities for the plan and had a chance to sign up for opportunities to get more involved.
Holiday Caroling
Neighborhood Surveys
December 13, 2017 - January 18, 2018
The neighborhood survey is designed to gather information from residents and businesses in the project area about their priorities for neighborhood improvements.
Stakeholder Interviews
Ongoing
Survey Results
Between December 13, 2017, and January 18, 2018, we heard from 78 citizens –a diverse mix of residents, employees, business owners, and service providers—about their priorities and ideas for the Mill Street neighborhood. Below is the breakdown of responses.
- Survey Results PDF
Contact
To sign-up for our newsletter or to ask a question, contact the project manager: