Colorado Springs council approves plan to sell former Meadows Park center

Colorado Springs City Council approved a resolution Oct. 27 authorizing the city to dispose of the former Meadows Park Community Center through its Community Benefit Process, the meeting transcript shows. The vote advances a proposed sale but does not establish that the property has been sold or that services will continue there.

The draft resolution proposes a $700,000 sale to CRE Holdings LLC, describing the price as below fair market value in recognition of a community benefit. It says the city intends for proceeds to be appropriated to Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services for park properties and improvements in Stratton Meadows. Before the vote, staff member Kim King said the proceeds would benefit the neighborhood and the department, with community input on their use. The draft says the city determined in September 2025 that the center’s operations should close and the property was no longer needed for city purposes.

At an Oct. 26 public hearing on the proposed 2027 budget, residents urged the city to reopen the center or otherwise preserve services. They cited recreation, senior services, a food pantry and youth programs they feared could be lost, according to their testimony. At the Oct. 27 meeting, residents and council members also raised concerns about service loss, childcare affordability, transparency and whether community benefits would be guaranteed.

Childcare and youth programming have been discussed as possible uses, not commitments by CRE Holdings. King described childcare as a focus for the company and youth programs as an area of emphasis. Community Affairs staff member Thomas Thompson said buyer John Rogers wanted a neighborhood Solutions Team to continue in an advisory role and provide community input if the sale went through, but Thompson said he could not guarantee what Rogers would do with the building. At an Oct. 12 work session, Rogers said daycare was the company’s priority, but it had not identified an operator and was still exploring whether daycare could use all or part of the building, he told the council.

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Skyler Rorabaugh said the Park System Master Plan identified about $600,000 in Meadows Park improvements, including playground and accessibility upgrades, seating and shade improvements, and basketball-court work. The work-session minutes do not link those projects to sale proceeds. Council members had also discussed directing proceeds toward neighborhood benefits, but the draft’s proceeds language does not itself appropriate the money or establish a separate neighborhood share.

The posted resolution attachment is a draft, so its price and detailed proceeds language are not confirmed as final adopted terms.