Colorado Springs Sells Former Meadows Park Community Center for $700,000
A shuttered South Side community hub in Colorado Springs has a new owner and a new direction, but the decision to let it go has left lingering questions for the neighborhood. On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council voted 7-2 to authorize the sale of the former Meadows Park Community Center to CRE Holdings for $700,000, according to reporting by The Gazette. The facility closed its doors last year after city leaders faced a budget shortfall exceeding $30 million. For decades, the center served families, seniors, and children with a food pantry and support services.
Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson and Councilmember Brian Risley cast the opposing votes against the sale. The remaining seven council members moved forward with the transaction, selecting CRE Holdings from three submitted proposals to repurpose the building on the city’s south side into a childcare center serving families in the Stratton Meadows neighborhood.
Competing Visions and Bids for the South Side Property
Before selecting the local real estate redevelopment company, city officials reviewed a handful of alternative proposals. KKTV reported that the city evaluated three bids after opening the application process in February. One bid came from Eastern Sports Management, a Virginia-based recreation facility management company that proposed managing youth sports programs and reinvesting the revenue back into the facility. Another bid came from Arizona-based 4 Pillars Recovery, which outlined plans for wellness programs, youth sports, twice-monthly senior lunches, and a trade lab teaching carpentry and painting.
Mayoral adviser Thomas Thompson told the council that organizations like the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region and the United Way toured the building before the city requested proposals but ultimately declined to pursue the property. Risley voiced concerns during the discussions regarding the limited pool of strong responses and suggested that nonprofits might offer more affordable childcare options than a private commercial operator.
Community Members Fear Travel Barriers After Building Sale
Community members expressed mixed reactions as the sale moved forward. Zuri Horowitz told KKTV that selling the building is a mistake, pointing out that families relying on the center now face travel barriers. “When it comes to having to drive to get food, when gas is so expensive, when SNAP benefits have been cut so steeply that we can’t just move it and act like it’s the same thing and it’s not helping people in the same way,” Horowitz said.
Other residents engaged directly with CRE Holdings founder John Rodgers during an October 20 neighborhood meeting attended by more than 40 Stratton Meadows residents. When residents asked about affordability and backup plans if the childcare agreement fails, Rodgers stated that his company planned to offer below-market rent to a tenant. Councilmember Nancy Henjum acknowledged the difficulty of the choice facing the city. “I wish desperately that this city, and I mean everybody including the taxpayers, prioritized city-funded community centers,” Henjum said, as reported by The Gazette. “That is not where Colorado Springs is right now and we have to make very difficult decisions.”
