“I would hope that it’s on the ballot. There’s enough people that are very concerned about all the building and everything that’s going on in Colorado Springs. You know how it goes. Someone wants to make one bigger. So, instead of 36 stories, the next one will be 41. And, all of a sudden, now we are downtown Denver, and I don’t think that’s what people want.” - Bill Wysong, President of Westside Watch & Mountain Shadows Community Association
Bill is an astute observer of reality. During the building boom of the 1980s, in Denver, which is, undoubtedly, what the developers would like to replicate, there were 3 SKYSCRAPERS PER YEAR being built soaring to over 709 FEET! Within a span of 5 years, 1980-1985, the developers built 14 skyscrapers. It will become a tallest tower match between developers with the people and Pikes Peak being the casualties.
Comically, in the Gazette article today titled, "Colorado Springs jumps to No. 3 in U.S. News & World Report's Best Places to Live rankings", President/CEO of Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and EDC, Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, is quoted as saying, "Having lived in multiple cities in my life, I can tell you that, to me, we have a small-town atmosphere with big-city amenities."
Do Skyscrapers evoke a small town feel?
Below is timeline of Denver’s skyscrapers showing the Skyscraper Frenzy of the 1980s and how Denver lost control of all that made her special, the mountain views:
1967
1600 Glenarm Place - 384 feet
1971
Skyline Park Tower - 338 feet
1974
Chase Tower - 366 feet
1978
555 17th Street - 486 feet
City Center Plaza - 352 feet
1980
1125 17th Street - 507 feet
1670 Broadway - 448 feet
Denver Energy Center - 374 feet
1981
707 17th Street - 522 feet
Denver Place South Tower - 522 feet
Cash Register Building - 451 feet
1982
1776 Lincoln Street - 386 feet
Dominion Towers South - 384 feet
Dominion Towers North - 372 feet
1983
Wells Fargo Center - 698 feet
1801 California Street - 709 feet
Granite Tower - 374 feet
1984
Republic Plaza - 714 feet
1985
1999 Broadway - 548 feet
2005
Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center - 489 feet
2009
The Spire - 478 feet
2010
Four Seasons Hotel & Residences - 640 feet
It's on us to grow this petition so they see we want a vote of the people. Please share the petition and updates, multiple times, on your social media and send it in your email. We need to drive the numbers high enough so they have to listen to us. Here's the petition main page link: https://www.change.org/SAVEOURSKIES