Addition sought for historic Old Town building

       An addition is proposed that would roughly double the size of the historic brick building at the northeast corner of 26th Street and Colorado Avenue.
       Daryl Slinkard, a Florida resident who owns some property in Colorado Springs, plans to buy the building and live at least part of the year in the new space, he said in a recent interview.
       “I thought it would be a neat place to live,” he said.
       He also pledged to respect the venerable style of the building (which dates back to 1889, according to the “Historic Old Colorado City” book by local historian Dave Hughes). “I'd like to keep the same kind of archictectural flavor so that it blends in with the front,” Slinkard said.
       The property purchase would not mean any change for Mountain Moppets, the children's clothing store that has operated in the current building for more than a decade, he added.
       The proposal requires eventual approval by Colorado Springs Planning Commission (a meeting date has not yet been scheduled). Slinkard has asked for a conditional use permit to allow mixed commercial and residential use in a C-6 (general business) zone. His project would consist of commercial storage space with a residential loft above and a four-vehicle carport.
       The existing building, which has the address of 2532 W. Colorado Ave., takes up just over 1,500 square feet on the 3,600-square foot property. The addition would extend north from the current north wall and be about 1,700 square feet in size, plans show.
       There would be no parking issue because the property adjoins the free public lot behind the stores along the north side of the avenue between 26th and 25th streets.
       According to Tim Scanlon, the city's historic preservation planner, 2532 “is a contributing building to the National Register's Old Colorado City Historic Commercial District.” However, he added, “this circumstance does not obligate the owner with regard to desired changes, nor requires mention on a development plan. It is not zoned under the HP [historic preservation] overlay, so there is no requirement that desired changes involving a building permit be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Board.”
       City Planning is taking public comments on the proposal. For more information, call James Mayerl at 385-5360.

Westside Pioneer article