This district wraps around Dwtn on the South and Southwestern sides. I therefore used Union St as the Eastern border, Platte Blvd and Cimarron as the north borders, Wahsatch as the western border and included the area directly south of Dwtn below Cimmarron but cut out anything south of Fountain St. as its pretty industrial.
Historically the Southeast Side has always been the working class part of town. This legacy certainly continues into the current day as the Southeast Side has more modest housing and affordable housing than the rest of the City and seems to be the part of the City with them most Crime (albeit pretty average for national standards). But I consider the district to be pretty well stabilized as the real estate market is robust and vacancy and blight is now limited.
Thanks to its close proximity to Downtown I ranked the Southeast Side the second best urban district in Colorado Springs. It has decent retail & cultural amenities especially with a strong mixed-use character close to Dwtn. The neighborhood has good economic diversity, likely the best economic diversity in the City, excellent park amenities and good ADA and sidewalk infrastructure throughout. But similar to other neighborhoods in Colorado Springs, the SE side’s density is very low, public transit is so so, good walkable schools are limited, and the eastern half the district is mostly residential.
URBAN STRENGTHS:
* Great access to Dwtn as about half the residents of the Southeast Side can walk to Dwtn.
* ADA and sidewalk infrastructure is generally good but becomes more inconsistent the further east you go.
* Decent but not great historic housing. Generally pretty modest homes esp. in the eastern reaches of the district.
* Good economic mix here but much many more lower income households than north and east of Dwtn.
* Pretty good racial diversity hosting a good # of Blacks and Hispanics.
* Great bike amenities here including an excellent set of dedicated bike paths and many dedicated bike stations.
* Excellent park amenities including South Shooks Run which runs north to south and along the southern boundary of the neighborhood, the extensive and multi-faceted Memorial Park, Dorchester Park, and the Recreation Center at Fountain Park.
* Decent amount of affordable housing.
* For Sale Housing is cheaper here than northern and eastern Colorado Springs. Studios and 1-beds can range btwn 250K-500K depending on age & condition. Condos options close to Dwtn. 2-beds range from 275K-600K with some condos near Dwtn. 3 & 4-beds 300K-800K. Only a handful of homes on the higher end.
* Overall solid cultural amenities particularly just south of Dwtn. Good # of restaurants, bars, cafes & breweries, a handful of art galleries. Half of the neighborhood is also within walking distance of Dwtn providing convenient access to many other cultural amenities.
* Good urban massing south of Dwtn esp. along Tejon pretty bad along Wahsatch and the industrial western edge of the South East side.
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
* Low density for an urban district.
* Public transit is okay.
* Some crime issues in Southeast Colorado Springs especially proportional to the rest of the City. But compared to most American cities crime really isn’t too bad.
* Some walkable schools in the Southeast side but most are not well rated.
* Some rentals, particularly closed close to Dwtn. Studios & 1-beds and 2-beds range anywhere btwn 1K and the mid2Ks depending on location and condition. Good 3 # of 3 beds that range from the high 1Ks to the low 3Ks.
* So retail amenities including a small grocery store, a drug store, a couple banks, many churches, several salons & dessert joints, a bookstore and antique shops. 1/2 of the neighborhood has convenient access to retail amenities dwtn as well. UC Health Hospital is along on the eastern edge of the district.
* In fill is a mixed bag. Some good urban in-fill south of Dwtn. Some auto centric crud esp. along Wahsatch Ave.
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 