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2h ago

Colorado Springs Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Karman Line Annexation

Developers will decide their next steps once the city certifies the election results later this month.

The water in the Rocky Ford ditch, which looks muddy and unclean, runs near areas that used to be farmed with water from the Lower Arkansas river in Rocky Ford, Colorado on March 25, 2025. Colorado Springs is going to need 34,000 more acre-feet a year of water in the coming decades to meet demand when the city is fully built out. Farmers in the Lower Arkansas Valley have spoken against the city's annexations of new housing developments outside the city limits since they increase the amount of water the city will need in the future. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
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Overview

  • About 75,800 ballots were cast in the June 17 special election, with 63,813 votes (81.7 percent) opposing the annexation of 1,876 acres southeast of the city limits.
  • The City Council approved the plan in January, allowing developers to use a 'flagpole' road annexation to attach the land for 6,500 single-family homes and a mixed-use commercial district.
  • Local residents led the opposition over concerns that the development would strain public safety services and require costly infrastructure beyond current service areas.
  • Farmers and water districts in the Lower Arkansas Valley objected to the proposal, warning it would heighten competition for already limited regional water supplies.
  • Norris Ranch Joint Ventures, the development team behind the proposal, said it will wait for official certification before determining how to proceed.