Gold Hill Mesa is growing before our eyes. If you’ve been on the Westside of Colorado Springs in recent months, you’ve probably seen the new homes rising on the historic hillside between downtown and the mountains. As the Westside’s premier planned community builds toward completion, its select partners Toll Brothers and Vanguard Homes are actively building — and both builders have model homes open and available to tour as part of the Parade of Homes and beyond.
“It’s an exciting phase to see these new homes going up and new neighbors moving in,” says Stephanie Edwards, Executive Vice President and CMO of Gold Hill Mesa. “Both Toll Brothers and Vanguard Homes are exceptional builders, and they are bringing an excellent range of masterful designs and high-quality homes to complete Gold Hill.”
As a Traditional Neighborhood Development revitalizing the historic hillside overlooking downtown Colorado Springs, Gold Hill Mesa has always prioritized community-building features, such as walkable greenways and sidewalks, wide front porches, alleyway garages and central public spaces. That won’t change as Gold Hill eventually adds about 600 new residences to complete the full community plan. What will change is the design aesthetic as Toll Brothers and Vanguard Homes offer a range of more contemporary styles to Gold Hill Mesa’s already varied offerings.
From its beginning in 2006, Gold Hill Mesa’s earlier homes featured more traditional Victorian, Craftsman, Colorado Farmhouse and similar styles. As new homes move down the mesa’s hillsides toward an eventual new retail area near 21st Street and Highway 24, they feature more contemporary designs and a popular vertical aesthetic.
“We wanted to make an architectural shift,” Edwards says. “There is a higher density of homes, which is part of our Traditional Neighborhood Design philosophy, and they are designed to capture the views and provide a lower maintenance lifestyle.”
Each builder has created a series of distinctive styles, but common features include detached or tuck-under garages with rear alley entry, 9- or 10-foot ceilings, open-concept floor plans and outdoor living spaces designed to capture Gold Hill’s sweeping mountain and city views.
“The new filings have tremendous views here on the Westside,” says Mark Long, owner and managing director of Vanguard Homes.
Vanguard Homes: Semi-Custom with Superior Value
Long knows those views well, as he is a long-time resident of Gold Hill Mesa who has also built many noteworthy, existing custom homes in earlier phases of the community.
Vanguard’s offerings in Gold Hill include eight models of cottages and semi-custom homes ranging from 1,100 to 2,900 square feet and starting from the low $400s to upper $600s. Vanguard’s current Derby model home is part of the Parade of Homes.
That three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom Cottage Farmhouse style features 9-foot ceilings and a detached garage. Its open-concept main level includes a spacious kitchen, dining room, great room with an electric fireplace and composite back deck. Upstairs, the primary bedroom features a spa-inspired bathroom, and all three bedrooms have walk-in closets. As part of the design transition from the current Gold Hill Mesa to the new Gold Hill, the Derby strikes a balance between traditional and modern with an inviting mountain charm.
“I like the contemporary styles,” Long says. “I also like that some of the models we’re building are actually smaller, so we can make them more affordable and reach a greater market niche. They all have pretty contemporary looking interiors even if the exterior is more traditional.”
He also notes some hillside lots are earmarked for unique designs that will utilize two walkout levels beneath a ranch-style main level. But Long and his team are well versed in custom designs. An on-site Vanguard architect meets with every buyer before construction, allowing them to make their home uniquely theirs.
“On top of Vanguard’s style, quality and energy efficiency, we are also semi-custom home builders,” Long says. “So our buyers are afforded more of an opportunity to customize their home to whatever degree they would like.”
Toll Brothers: National Reach, Personal Touch
Toll Brothers blends the prestige of National Builder of the Year awards with an established local team to present both single-family homes and attached townhomes as Gold Hill grows.
“We pride ourselves on prestigious locations, and we certainly consider Gold Hill to be one of those,” says Sharon Curdy, Tolls Brothers Director of Sales in Colorado Springs. “We are thankful and fortunate to have a presence on the Westside. It’s such an important part of our city, and there are limited opportunities to own a newly built home there. So we’re excited to be a part of continuing the history of this beautiful location.”
Toll Brothers is currently building its Apex Collection, which features three single-family home designs. The Conifer, Kenosha and Ridgeway home designs are offered in three exterior styles: Modern Farmhouse, Modern Brownstone or Contemporary. The thoughtfully curated three-story floor plans range in size from 2,100 to 2,200 square feet, with a main-floor flex room near the tuck-under garage that provides the option of a fourth bedroom if desired. Each of these homes starts in the mid-$500s.
“They all have large plate windows that provide lots of natural light, which is super important to us,” Curdy says. “All of the plans also have outdoor living spaces and large kitchens with walk-in pantries.”
The builder’s current model on the Parade of Homes is a luxurious Ridgeway Contemporary that features sweeping views of Pikes Peak and the Front Range.
“We have our own design studio, so people have the opportunity to come in and make a selection for a build-to-order home,” Curdy says. “They select their homesite, their home plan and all of their personalized options.”
Toll Brothers will also debut attached townhomes at Gold Hill next year. The Horizon Collection will begin construction later this year to be ready in spring 2026. The product will add an even broader range of options to Gold Hill.
“We are very thoughtful and diligent about staying in front of what is appealing to a buyer and what makes a home a haven, because ultimately the customer experience is the most important thing,” Curdy says. “It’s a privilege to know that we’ve been a part of somebody’s home buying experience. It’s very rewarding to come to the end of a buying cycle and present their keys and home to them — there’s really nothing like it.”
Both builders are currently selling lots for brand-new builds while also creating an inventory of completed homes with popular, curated finishes for those looking to move in quicker. With models now open, the Vanguard Homes and Toll Brothers teams are on-site daily at Gold Hill, ready to bring your dreams of a new home to life.
Learn more at goldhillmesa.com
