More than five years after Colorado Springs began working on a long-term outline to support the southeast section of the city, the plan has finally come to fruition.

The Colorado Springs City Council unanimously approved the Southeast Strong Neighborhood Plan during the council meeting Tuesday morning. The plan covers the areas south of Fountain Boulevard and between Interstate 25 and Powers Boulevard, which is about half of the section of the city represented by City Council District 4.

Historically, the southeast has been an area of Colorado Springs where residents faced worse health outcomes, economic struggles and a lack of large-scale investments from the city. Those issues, the spotlight of a five-day Gazette series in 2017, became the reason that local leaders pushed for the neighborhoods to be the first area covered by a city neighborhood plan.

“You don’t just plop a strong neighborhood down. You give people the tools and the resources that they need to help build, or rebuild, a strong neighborhood,” said Joyce Salazar, executive director of the nonprofit RISE Southeast.

The final plan came out with two documents, a 64-page outline for Colorado Springs outlining the areas the city could work on and a “community strategy” guide for nonprofits and businesses working in the area.

Some of the city goals outlined in the plan include working with existing small businesses while attracting new retailers and grocery stores into the area, building off previous investments in tree coverage for the neighborhoods, improving the transit options along South Academy Boulevard and Powers Boulevard, and supporting community gathering places. No timelines for action were included.

When Colorado Springs adopted the PlanCOS development guide in 2019, one of the goals was to improve different neighborhoods with larger-scale plans. The city began seriously working on the southeast plan in May 2021, after delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a series of public meetings to hear about residents’ priorities.

The first draft of the neighborhood plan was released for public comment and City Council reactions in October 2024. After some initial changes and another round of delays, the plan was approved by the Planning Commission in January and eventually returned to the council Tuesday.

Before she was elected to represent the neighborhood in District 4, Councilmember Kimberly Gold had attended some of the planning meetings for the neighborhood plan. Gold said being on both sides of the process was an education in what it takes to coordinate an ambitious city project.

“That has been really cool and a testament to what engaged community members can be a part of,” Gold said. “I know in my heart of hearts that when community members engage, communities change.”

Gold suggested that one of the first steps coming out of the plan could be a directory of local businesses, which would help draw attention to restaurants and local companies that might be struggling.

While Colorado Springs has made investments in the southeast while the plan was in the works, Salazar said there are still signs of the community’s struggles. The Stompin’ Groundz coffee shop that hosted some of the community meetings to develop the southeast plan closed at the beginning of the year. Salazar said that bringing in another public meeting place was one of her next priorities.

A large group from RISE Southeast’s Youth Advisory Council attended the council meeting as a show of support. Ace Cordero, 16, started getting involved in the neighborhood efforts last year. Cordero said that she hoped the plan would help lead to environmental improvements along the Sand Creek Trail and more support for businesses.

“It’s easier to have a structure for us to see our future that we want for ourselves in the plan,” Cordero said.

Councilmember David Leinweber asked what the city would track to tell if the neighborhood plan was improving the area. Leinweber was especially curious about whether the community investment would have any measurable impact on crime in the area.

Gold asked the city to prepare annual reports for the council from the southeast. In the meantime, a new committee would likely need to be formed to coordinate the plan between city staff and the nonprofit partners.

Former Councilwoman Yolanda Avila was not able to attend the final council vote, but she said that she was happy to see the plan finally take effect. Avila said it was appropriate for the southeast that getting the plan over the finish line took persistence and resilience.

“I’m really happy that I was there for the beginning and I would like for the plan to outlive me for generations and generations,” Avila said.