The findings of two surveys and in-person interviews that reached nearly 4,000 residents of El Paso and Teller counties in a quest to jell a unified vision for the Pikes Peak region may not be surprising.
Residents love the area’s mountainous version of paradise in all that the outdoors has to offer and behold.
But they cite high housing and daily living costs coupled with traffic congestion as primary hindrances to a totally blissful lifestyle, according to the results of “Our Spacious Skies,” which is being released Thursday.
“Our Spacious Skies reveals the heart of our region — what residents cherish and what they fear losing,” said Margaret Dolan, CEO of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, which is leading the nonpartisan visioning project.
A public unveiling of the results will be presented 3:30-6 p.m. Thursday at the McDivitt Club at Weidner Field, 111 W. Cimarron St.
Locals overwhelmingly believe that the positive aspects of the quality of life in the region outweigh the negative aspects, 69% to 31%, the study concludes. Nationwide, it’s 60% positive and 40% negative.
Above anything else, the region’s scenic and natural beauty, along with abundant recreational opportunities, are what people cherish most about living here.
Having safe neighborhoods, family and close friends nearby, and access to good health care also contribute to the high quality of life, the results show.
However, more than three-quarters of those who gave input believe that the peace and tranquility that comes from living in the region is under threat of being lost by such factors as the rising cost of living, a lack of affordable and attainable housing, and unmanaged growth.
While 52% think growth is making things worse, 71% said growth will bring benefits and advantages — if it is carefully managed and regulated.
Ideas for successful management included preserving local farms and agriculture, revitalizing rundown areas, maintaining the characteristics of individual towns, and encouraging walkable neighborhoods.
Nearly half of respondents said they want to see more housing constructed and an increase in the number and availability of homes and apartments. About one-quarter of respondents disagreed that more homes are needed. And there’s strong support for converting underused and abandoned buildings into housing.
About 90% said they think a regional priority should be financial investment in public transportation.
Our Spacious Skies was developed as a civic initiative last year and has involved forming a 31-member steering committee of representatives from business, government, nonprofit and community sectors.
A Virginia-based market researcher, Heart+Mind Strategies, led data collection around the topics of growth, natural beauty and the outdoors, housing, homelessness, mobility and transportation, and education.
Two surveys were undertaken this year. One, a scientific survey of 700 residents of El Paso and Teller counties, gathered comments online and by phone between June 13 and July 30. The polling constituted a representative sample of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The second survey, conducted online, on paper and in-person, reached 2,806 people between June 14 and Sept. 22, querying them on what they liked and disliked in their communities and what they’d like to see in the future.
What’s notable, said former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, a steering committee co-chair, is that the surveys reached a wide spectrum of ages, races, households and every ZIP code.
That’s different from previous community strategizing, he said, when special-interest groups had their say, but average citizens were less likely to contribute.
“Before it was ‘let’s come up with the exact game plan for the long-range.’ That’s not this,” Suthers said. “This is a data-gathering effort that will inform government, businesses and nonprofits in their planning.”
The same values and priorities rose to the top of both surveys, Dolan said, as well as results from one-on-one interviews and focus groups with elected officials, community leaders and everyday citizens.
The goal of the project, Dolan said, is to understand people’s priorities and encourage businesses, nonprofits, government entities to align on working on what matters most to residents.
What’s next?
“We will build coalitions of organizations encompassing government, nonprofits, philanthropy and the private sector, willing to use this data to inform their own decision-making,” Dolan said.
In late spring, the Pikes Peak Community Foundation will launch an online, interactive data tool that overlays the research findings onto a map and incorporates other statistics that measure data points.
For example, Dolan said, with housing a top concern among residents, the tool could display what percentage of people in various neighborhoods are paying more than the recommended 30% of their income on housing.
“We also intend on doing some other surveying in three to five years to see if priorities have changed and whether progress has been made on the issues facing our region,” she said.
More than $2 million raised in grants and donations is funding this year’s initial research and community feedback, according to organizers.
The report can be found at https://www.ourspaciousskies.org/.
[BOXHED] Top 5 positives and negatives from Our Spacious Skies surveys
The people in the Pikes Peak region find their quality of life far more positive than negative and far above the rest of the country. Residents say that 69% of things have positive impact on their quality of life.
The top five of 17 options for positives in the region:
The area’s scenic and natural beauty.
A safe neighborhood and low crime.
Outdoor recreation and adventure opportunities.
Having family or close friends here.
Access to good health care.
The top five of 17 options for negatives in the region:
The high cost of living, excluding housing.
Housing costs and availability of affordable housing.
Traffic congestion.
Increased crime and less safe neighborhoods.
Too much growth.
Thousands are drawn to the Labor Day Lift Off every year at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak looms over the downtown and Garden of the Gods can be seen from a balloon. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)