I’m ready to move downtown. You know, sell the house, quit doing yard work and trade that time for lounging by the year-round pool or rooftop deck in one of the thousands of new apartments in Colorado Springs. OK, my wife might not agree with this plan at our current life stage, but it sure is tempting as I preview some of the properties on the upcoming Urban Living Tour.
If you’re looking for a new apartment or are simply curious to see what all those cranes have been building on the downtown skyline, then you don’t want to miss the Urban Living Tour on Aug. 19. With about 2,000 new residential units downtown opening in 2023-2024, there is a whole lot to see. The self-guided tour will take you inside eight of the properties in the heart of the downtown.
“This year’s Urban Living Tour will highlight the truly world-class residential development happening in our city’s center, and we’re also excited to help spotlight the amazing work that Working Fusion’s tiny home village is doing for our community,” says Austin Wilson-Bradley, the economic and community development manager for the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, who coordinated the Urban Living Tour.
New Apartments in Colorado Springs: The Plaza at Pikes Peak
Wilson-Bradley is guiding my preview of several properties on this year’s Urban Living Tour. Our first stop is at The Plaza at Pikes Peak. Phase One of this five-story apartment development opened in fall 2022 on downtown’s East End. If you haven’t noticed, this side of downtown is experiencing a growth wave, and the Plaza at Pikes Peak has a prime view. The building sits across Pikes Peak Avenue from the old Gazette building, with out-the-door access to Shooks Run Park and Trail. From its hillside perch, it has prime views of the full downtown skyline framed by Pikes Peak and the Front Range.
The apartments here come in 11 floor plans, ranging from 500-square-foot studios to nearly 1,200-square-foot two-bedroom apartments. And there’s a great lineup of amenities, including a year-round pool and hot tub, multiple co-working spaces and 8,000-square-foot fitness facility. “I’ve never see a bigger or better apartment fitness center,” Wilson-Bradley says before we check it out. I have to agree. These gyms just keep going with separate rooms for weights, cardio and yoga and fitness programs, and they come with access to a personal trainer.
There’s also a stylish clubhouse space that opens onto the pool deck for events. A 4,500-square-foot rooftop deck on the second building is expected to be completed by the end of August. It will include sofa seating areas, a fire pit, grilling station, flat-screen TV and spectacular views.
“We do multiple resident activities per month,” says Stela Coffelt, community manager. “We want to have a real sense of community. This is the residents’ home, and we want to make it the best experience they could have.”
New Apartments in Colorado Springs: Casa Mundi
Next up on my pre-tour is Casa Mundi. This four-story boutique apartment building opened in 2020 and features 27 one- and two-bedroom apartments with a prime Tejon Street location. Don’t feel like cooking? Just head downstairs to Zocalo or Toastique on the ground level. Or walk next door to the chic Lumen8 rooftop restaurant and bar atop the Element and SpringHill Suites hotels. Or walk one block to the many restaurants, bars or breweries along the trendy Trolley Block. You get the idea. Casa Mundi is in a superb spot for walkable downtown living.
Casa Mundi’s stylish building has an intimate feel, with global accents in the decor. The amenities here include 12-foot or higher ceilings, private balconies, covered parking, electric car charging and more. If there’s one word to describe Casa Mundi, it’s community. Residents here enjoy regular gatherings, happy hours and going to Switchbacks FC games together.
“All of our residents do know each other, which is a great thing,” says Darsey Niklasson, developer and president of Places Management. “We can tell all kinds of stories about how residents take care of each other, walking each other’s dogs, babysitting for each other, going skiing and snowboarding or doing trips together. It’s a pretty tight community.”
You might say downtown itself offers a strong sense of community as well. The Springs is large enough a city to have lots going on in the way of entertainment, culture and business development — but small enough to meet people and get involved quickly. Wilson-Bradley says that’s especially true downtown.
“Downtown is special for so many reasons — not just the murals, sculptures, restaurants, bars, and shops, but also the people behind them that really create the sense of community,” he says. “The artists, residents, workers and entrepreneurs who call downtown home form a tight-knit but diverse and welcoming community and look forward to meeting new residents who choose an urban lifestyle.”
New Apartments in Colorado Springs: Vim
Our last stop on this mini-tour is Vim, one of the most recent apartments to open downtown. Located on the southeast end of downtown at the corner of Wahsatch Avenue and Vermijo Avenue, Vim’s first phase opened with 154 units in two buildings in early 2023. The apartments come in studios, one- and two-bedroom configurations that are available in 21 different floor plans. There’s a lobby fireplace, co-working areas and a sunny rooftop hot tub deck, fire pit and clubhouse.
A second phase under construction will add 122 apartments by spring or summer 2024. It will feature a large skydeck on its roof, a swimming pool and more indoor parking. Those rooftop views are excellent, giving a closeup look across downtown, with Cheyenne Mountain and Pikes Peak large on the horizon. There’s a colorful outdoor courtyard between the buildings at Vim, with sofa seating, grilling areas and cornhole games.
With apartments like these, it’s no surprise why more and more people are being drawn to the convenience of downtown living. The Urban Living Tour will give you an inside look — and maybe an introduction to your new home.
“I hope our guests are able to appreciate what makes urban living so special,” Wilson-Bradley says. “You can walk out your front door and immediately be immersed in all that downtown offers. You’re walking distance from the city’s greatest concentration of small businesses and boutique retail, dozens of restaurants and bars, most of the city’s nightlife, and yet still just moments away from nature like Shooks Run Trail and America the Beautiful Park. Nowhere else in Colorado Springs offers that kind of walkability to so many amenities and attractions.”
How to Join the Urban Living Tour
The Urban Living Tour happens Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is self-guided, allowing you to visit the properties at your own pace. This year’s featured properties are:
Get more info and tickets at downtowncs.com.
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