Damage to homes from 2015 landslides in Colorado Springs is totaled at a little more than $7 million, according to the El Paso County Assessor.

Assessor Steve Schleiker announced the total at a Tuesday Board of El Paso County Commissioners meeting. He said his office has assessed 53 properties for landslide damage and, of those, 34 have had adjusted property values.

Of those 34 homes:

– Three properties reduced in value by 100 percent

– 11 properties reduced in value by 75 percent

– Four properties reduced in value by 50 percent

– 15 properties reduced in value by 15 percent

– One property reduced in value by 10 percent

The homes damaged by landslides are within Broadmoor Bluffs, Broadmoor Hills, Broadmoor Resort and Skyway neighborhoods. Schleiker said the damaged homes amount to a small percentage of the total homes in those neighborhoods.

The city has applied for grants to help 26 homeowners buy out their damaged properties. The victims initially were only eligible for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant worth about $3 million. The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management announced recently that other grants, totaling between $6 million and $9 million, may be available as well. Homes that are bought out will be torn down and building will no longer be allowed on those sites.

This is the third time the city has applied for federal grants to aid landslide victims since the 90s. A Gazette investigative report found that Colorado Springs has allowed continued building in landslide-susceptible areas despite decades of warnings from geologists.

The total property loss from these recent landslides could change, Schleiker said.

“This is a moving target,” Schleiker said. “My staff members have been out there every time we have a rain. We visit with property owners and see if there is any new damage. We have not added any new properties to our list for quite some time.”

Property owners who believe their homes were damaged by the landslides but have not contacted the assessor’s office may call 520-6600 or email asrweb@elpasoco.com to set up an appointment to have the property inspected.

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Contact Maria St. Louis-Sanchez: 636-0238

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