The El Paso County Board of Commissioners narrowly rejected a developer’s bid to convert land from low- to high-density residential zoning.

The request, made by MA Infrastructure, LLC, would have allowed 12 units per acre on half of a 14-acre property and 30 units per acre on the other half. The land is at the corner of Walker Road and Colorado 83, adjacent to the Monument Academy – East Campus charter school and west of the community of Woodmoor in northern El Paso County.

Craig Dossey, President of Vertex Consulting and presenting on behalf of the developer, argued that the zoning change made sense in the context of the surrounding community. With the building of the school and the nearby Walden community of single-family homes, he said the area had “urban-level services” and access to a highway to support denser housing.

“This is exactly where multi-family should go,” he said in a meeting last week.

He said that the request adhered to the spirit of the county’s master plan for development.

“A community is a community with a mixture of housing, not homogeneous housing,” he said.

Multiple people came to speak in opposition, many sharing turns in giving the same presentation. They argued that the change from rural residential to multi-family was too steep a jump in zoning and would detract from the area.

David Wilson, a nearby resident, said that people moved to the community because of its low-density housing and didn’t mind a comparative lack of amenities.

“They moved there because of the wide open spaces,” he said.

Commission chair Carrie Geitner voted not to reject the proposal. She said that there was “subjectivity” in determining whether multi-family housing would fit the master plan, and that evidence was given that the request fit the criteria.

Commissioner Lauren Nelson joined her in voting against rejection.

While she said it was a hard decision since the developer made a compelling case for water access, Commissioner Holly Williams said that the change was too drastic for her.

“I can see both sides,” she said.

The final vote was 3-2 against the zoning change, which followed the earlier 6-1 recommendation of the El Paso County Planning Commission. The commission recommended a rejection based on compatibility.