Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that people living at The Launchpad Apartments must be at least 18 years old.

Some parents at the Ruth Washburn Cooperative Nursery School located north of the proposed Launchpad Apartments on Colorado Springs’ west side have expressed new concerns about the project this week, saying they are worried it could pose a safety risk for children at the school.

A group of 24 formal appellants hope to convince the City Council on Tuesday, at a rescheduled appeal hearing, to overturn the Planning Commission’s June 14 decision to uphold city planning staff’s administrative approval of plans to build the 50-unit apartment building north of the intersection of West Uintah and North 19th streets.

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The development is designed to provide “permanent supportive housing” for homeless young adults ages 18-24, city staff has said. Programs at The Launchpad would be operated by The Place, a nonprofit that operates the only shelter for homeless teens in Colorado Springs.

Those opposed to the project have previously taken issue with the building’s proposed height, density and the potential for landslides at the site. This week, some parents at Ruth Washburn expressed additional concerns about the safety of children attending the school if the apartments were built. They claim the school’s executive leadership has publicly indicated their organization’s support of the project when many parents were unaware of it until recent weeks.

“We know homelessness in general, it’s a big problem. We’re glad that somebody’s trying to do something about it,” said Kevin Gigiano, a former Ruth Washburn school board member whose children have attended the co-op since 2012.

He recalled seeing mentions of an art project being done for The Launchpad apartments in a community newsletter, but said broader discussions about the project itself among the school community didn’t happen.

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“It was very innocuous. It’s like, there’s something going on next door and we should discuss it like a cooperative, like adults. To me, that never happened,” he said.

An anonymous survey on the project, posted to a website Gigiano created documenting parents’ concerns about The Launchpad, had about 50 responses – around 43 from school parents – as of late Thursday morning, he said. More than half of the people who responded said they weren’t aware of the proposed apartment building. About 30% of respondents said in the survey they would rethink their children’s enrollment at the school if the complex was built next door, he said.

Hannah Egger, the school’s Board of Governors president, declined to be interviewed for this story this week but provided a statement from the board: “In the Ruth Washburn community, we value each and every one of our families. We will continue to communicate in a transparent way with our co-op about any and all topics important to our community.”

Gigiano said he was concerned about how security would be handled at the new Launchpad Apartments.

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“There’s going to be this facility next door for housing youths that are homeless. Those folks, they have trouble in their life, right? We just worry. We’re not against the facility. We are just concerned about it being right next to a preschool. That’s what it really comes down to,” he said.

The Place Executive Director Shawna Kemppainen said homelessness “is not a character defect” and the programs the nonprofit will offer at The Launchpad will support a portion of the approximately 185 homeless people ages 15-24 living in El Paso County in any given month. Those living at The Launchpad must be at least 18 years old.

Programs include education and employment assistance, activities like mindfulness and yoga classes, and mental health treatment from Peak Vista Community Health Centers.

The Launchpad will be staffed 24/7 with employees from The Place who “are well-trained and experienced working with young people across a spectrum of programs, from street outreach services to youth shelter to housing,” said Kemppainen, who uses they/them pronouns. 

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“Students at the nursery school will not be less safe because of The Launchpad Apartments. Having a nice building with 24/7 staff next door may be helpful to the school, and we intend to be great neighbors. Homelessness is primarily a crisis of disconnection. Once in a safe place to live, with safe people supporting them, young adults see a future with purpose and they change their trajectory,” they added.

The proposed development site is already zoned to allow multi-family housing and is closely located to services and retail shops young adults will need, including bike and bus routes, grocery stores, potential employers in the Uintah Gardens shopping center and Old Colorado City, and the overall character of the area can be beneficial for them, Kemppainen said.

“The social fabric of a neighborhood can create important connections that bolster well-being,” they said.

Gigiano has planned a Ruth Washburn cooperative parents’ meeting Saturday at 3 p.m., at the southwest corner of Thorndale Park on Uintah Street, to solicit their input on the project, he said.

The City Council’s next regular meeting Aug. 8 will begin at 10 a.m. at City Hall. Agendas are available at coloradosprings.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.