The Monument Town Council on Monday rejected a 205-home project on the northern edge of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Called Santa Fe Meadows, the Classic Homes project for 135 single-family homes and 70 townhomes would have occupied 43 acres at the south end of Terrazzo Drive. The area was originally approved for up to 500 housing units under a previous preliminary planned unit development.

Despite the reduction in the number of homes proposed, Monument council members said they were concerned about how the community could affect operations at USAFA. In a community planning review letter, USAFA staff wrote that the development bordered the Jacks Valley military training area and could lead to noise conflicts.

The increasing operations in the area include, according to the letter, “ground-based gunfire simulation, pyrotechnics, detonation of explosives, artillery simulations, heavy vehicles, helicopter exercises, fixed-wing aircraft flights, drone-flight testing and other audible training devices like whistles and bullhorns.”

Councilman Marco Fiorito said he anticipated the town “bearing the brunt” of noise complaints from residents.

“It’s going to be a function of ‘I told you so,’” he said.

Santa Fe Meadows is also 0.3 miles from the currently inactive Aardvark airfield. In its letter, the Air Force said that building the community could conflict with the Department of Defense policy on what can be built at the ends of runways.

“As a result, this development could effectively preclude potential future fixed-wing aircraft use at the airfield, which may impact future mission requirements,” the review letter read.

Monument delayed consideration of Santa Fe Meadows while developers and town staff reached out to the Air Force. Monument councilman Chad Smith said an effective solution could not be reached.

“Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out in the end,” he said.

Monument Mayor Mitch Lakind said a project that could impede operations at USAFA was a “nonstarter.”