If you’ve driven along Highway 24 or 21st Street just west of downtown Colorado Springs in the last few months, you’ve already seen it happening. Gold Hill Mesa is growing. The award-winning Westside community is expanding its unique development, and they are proud to announce that Toll Brothers and Vanguard Homes will be the builders to complete the premier planned community.
As America’s luxury home builder, Toll Brothers focuses on making home special with distinctive architecture, wide-ranging personalized amenities and unrivaled customer experiences. The company has been named to the Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies list 10 times and been honored as National Builder of the Year multiple times by Professional Builder Magazine and Builder Magazine. The national company has a local presence in Colorado Springs.
“We are so excited to have Toll Brothers as the new home builder for the completion of Gold Hill Mesa,” says Stephanie Edwards, Executive Vice President and CMO of Gold Hill Mesa. “They bring that national level of attention and expertise, but they are also very mindful of the local market, environment and climate. And they have many products they can adapt to the specific style of our development.”
The team has already been working with the well known local firm Echo Architecture to create an exceptional set of design standards tailored to Gold Hill Mesa. Those closest to 21st Street will feature classic architectural styles similar to the blend of Craftsman, Prairie, Colorado Farmhouse and others in the existing Gold Hill Mesa community. Deeper into the neighborhood along the hillsides north of the existing homes, styles will transition toward more contemporary designs.
Plans include adding about 600 new homes, townhomes and apartments to Gold Hill Mesa, beginning near 21st Street and moving east across the mesa. While every lot is unique, maximizing the distinctive views and outdoor living space will be a priority built into each home design.
“The geography we are building into has some incredible view opportunities sweeping from downtown to Garden of the Gods. On certain lots you can see the summit of Pikes Peak,” Edwards says.
To capture the best sight lines and maximize outdoor living space, some of the new homes will feature tuck-under garages and upper-level or rooftop decks.
“It is remarkable; from certain areas of the community, you can see panoramic views of downtown, the Front Range, Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods,” Edwards says. “One thing we’ve really learned is that given the climate of Colorado Springs and the location of Gold Hill Mesa, we and our builders want to really maximize the outdoor living spaces.”
The new filings will feature the characteristic amenities of Gold Hill Mesa’s Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND). Sidewalks and greenways prioritize pedestrians. Front porches and central public spaces encourage community connections. Garages on rear-facing alleys reduce vehicle congestion. And an eventual commercial district near the Highway 24 and 21st Street intersection will enhance the conveniences of a walkable community.
To create a mixture of residential options, Vanguard Homes will be building detached townhomes near 21st Street, as well as custom homes deeper within the community. Both will continue Gold Hill Mesa’s emphasis on a variety of high-quality living options and a range of footprints and prices.
Vanguard Homes has been a long-time builder in Gold Hill Mesa, bringing many noteworthy, existing custom homes to the community. In fact, its owner, Mark Long, is a resident who has chosen to make his personal dwelling in Gold Hill Mesa. (You can read about his Gold Hill Mesa home here.) Vanguard has already begun pre-selling its detached townhomes.
Also central to the new wave of growth is the ongoing preservation of the historic smokestack from the former Golden Cycle Mill. The placemaking landmark stands as a special reminder of Colorado Springs history, and it will remain as a centerpiece of a common area that could include an intimate amphitheater. For a special event this summer, the smokestack was illuminated with lasers, drawing rave reviews from the surrounding community and providing an example of the possibilities for the artistic community space. You can read more about a vision for the smokestack’s future here.
When will it be possible to build or buy a new home in Gold Hill Mesa? Current work is focused on installing infrastructure, such as utilities, curbs and gutters. Model homes should be available by spring or early summer of next year, and new homes should start reaching completion later in 2025.
With all of the required approvals in hand, Gold Hill is poised to realize its ambitious vision of repurposing the historic, exceptionally located mesa into a leading planned community like none other in Colorado Springs. The full buildout could be completed in approximately five years.
The final phase will include commercial sites bordering Highway 24 and 21st Street, such as a potential hotel, grocery store, restaurants, microbreweries or other small businesses. Apartments bordering the retail area are also in the plan, as is open space along Fountain Creek.
“It makes me very excited to have two awesome builders, Toll Brothers and Vanguard Homes, creating much needed residential opportunities and bringing Gold Hill Mesa to full completion,” Edwards says. “Bringing some amazing gathering places around the smokestack and restaurants around Fountain Creek — really activating that mile of streamside and doing something special around the smokestack — all those things make me very excited.”
Learn more about new homes and the community of Gold Hill Mesa at goldhillmesa.com.
