Three-inches of movement can result in cracking of walls, floors, and hard finishes such as tile or rock, Lovekin wrote. They found that portions of the site sank more than 3 inches, Lovekin wrote. We expect further input from both entities, Fabos said by email. 1480 Gold Hill Mesa Dr 1,363 sqf, $1,450. The 4,170 Square Feet single family home is a 4 beds, 3 baths property. Evidence of builder errors unrelated to ground movement was also found in each inspection, Clemens said. Welcome to Gold Hill Mesa, a master planned community in Colorado Springs. Many of these homes have been built in the last 10 years, with a median sales price of $340,000. This is the story about Gold Hill Mesa that people really need to read! Gold Hill Mesa developers hope a new report validates their assertions that the neighborhood's 500 homes are in no danger of sinking. Ft. He and other council members have called for the entire site to be tested, but that decision rests with city planners and engineers. 2004: 20041035960 : Gold . The City Planning and Development Department uses the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) as their consultant in geotechnical matters. Peter M. Susemihl (Designated Election Official Signature On File) A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS (NOTICE BY PUBLICATION OF) 1-13.5-501, 1-13.5-1102(3), 32-1-905(2), C.R.S . And Im not growing any extra limbs or anything like that, Harward said. There are many misrepresentations in the article; here are corrections to the most significant inaccuracies, with facts and clarification following: About Gold Hill Mesa: Gold Hill Mesa is the site of the former Golden Cycle Mill. There may be things that homeowners can do, she said. . He spoke fondly of a summer concert series in the neighborhood and the potlucks that coincide. Gold Hill Mesa median real estate price is $531,626, which is more expensive than 49.5% of the neighborhoods in Colorado and 75.0% of the neighborhoods in the U.S. The report was reviewed and approved by the surveys director, Karen Berry, and sent on her letterhead. They resolved the problem and we havent heard of any issues subsequently.. We started seeing stuff happening in the streets, she said. I would say theres shoddy craftsman work here, whether its a painter or a plumber to a carpenter. Nearby Neighborhoods. Not until much later in the article is there any mention that the report from 2015 was actually commissioned by a plaintiffs attorney, and the reporter never connected the previous mention of an independent experts report to the fact that it was actually a report prepared for the plaintiffs lawyer. He alleviated those concerns by explaining the testing process and its results, she said. 1281 Gold Hill Mesa Drive, $1,395 master on main level - Homes are renting quickly. The nearby development, Villa de Mesa, should also be tested, Elliott said. Representatives of the Colorado Geological Survey and Gold Hill Mesa remain in discussions about an appropriate approach to more testing at the site, city spokeswoman Jamie Fabos said. Looking out over Gold Hill Mesa, a housing development in Colorado Springs, on Saturday, August, 10, 2019. Several residents there have kept track of homes throughout the development where theyve seen flooding, heard of cracking or other problems. GHM Feature: Gazette New Home Buyers Guide. Instead, Hoffmann directed additional questions about the ground survey to the Woodland Park company behind the work, Rampart Surveys, representatives of which did not respond to a request for comment. Edwards said a water line leak was also discovered in September 2017, near Gold Hill Mesas community center at 142 S. Raven Mine Drive. The concert and festival will be held outdoors at the Gold Hill Mesa Community Center Saturday, October 13 from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. I always believe you have to prove with multiple methods.. Reports of failed perimeter drains throughout the development could also indicate ground movement, Clemens said. The iconic Golden Cycle Mill smokestack still stands today and will be preserved as a symbol of Gold Hill Mesas Rich Heritage. Simple things that are inconvenient but alleviate the situation so you can continue living there.. City planners have halted the next phase of development at the Gold Hill Mesa site because state geologists said they cant condone additional building on the land without more tests to determine whether its stable and safe. But the developer and many Gold Hill Mesa residents push back strongly against the notion that sinking has occurred in the area. The recorded sinking should prompt more settlement tests throughout the developed portions of Gold Hill Mesa, they say. Gold Hill Mesa is a neighborhood in West Colorado Springs. Im out there digging in the yard all the time. Gold Hill Mesa is creating a healthy, sustainable community for today and generations to come by offering an alternative to life in the conventional . That movement tracked by stacking 162 images captured by satellite cameras is greater than in surrounding areas and is concerning enough to warrant additional investigations of the mine tailings pile atop which the development sits, said Jonathan Lovekin, a senior engineering geologist at the agency. No home in this neighborhood has sunk, shifted, anything of that nature, Diane Heinz said. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock). Nobody can tell them where any of this water is coming from and why some of the doors in their homes cant shut.". Eventually a community plaza and museum is likely to surround the smokestack as it anchors the commercial village. That land movement, tracked by stacking more than 150 satellite images captured during that time, is enough to crack homes and buildings atop the century-old mine tailings pile, wrote Jonathan Lovekin, a senior engineering geologist at the Colorado Geological Survey in a report to city staff. And the entire site should be tested for its potential for liquefaction, destabilization that could be set off by seismic activity from nearby faults. The apparent sinking that has occurred in the development is likely caused by water shifting in the soil at Gold Hill Mesa, hypothesized Virginia McLemore, principal senior economic geologist at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, who studied the satellite images and the CGS report. We have no settlement issues, Newton wrote in an email. But the information is essential, McLemore said, so residents can mitigate risks if a larger problem is found and homebuilders can move forward safely. But one veteran home inspector with experience in the neighborhood, Walter Clemens, says much of the reported damage is symptomatic of sinking and heaving soils. Senior Principal Engineer Hoffmans response to CGS satellite data echoed that sentiment: If that degree of movement was occurring over the wide area depicted in the figure in the CGS letter, we would expect numerous litigation proceedings in progress that the geotechnical community within Colorado Springs would be well aware. In addition, outliers in the data are generally quite visible and can be discounted. In addition, the technology is used by the Colorado Department of Transportation and other organizations throughout the United States and Europe, he said. Is comparing Colorado Springs' and Denver's homeless populations fair or unfair? When the economic grip of World War II took hold, miners were relocated to help the war effort. Gold Hill Mesa is by FAR the best community we have ever lived. 492. The home is within walking distance of the Bear Creek Open Space with a large, well-maintained Dog Park. As many of you have seen or heard by now, the Gazette published a long article on Gold Hill Mesa in Sundays newspaper. Asked about the alkalinity noted from the water, Edwards wrote it was explained to me by the community landscape company that this is common when irrigation water drains through clay soils. Conventional on-the-ground surveys conducted at the site suggest a normal amount of land movement for a residential development, Hoffmann said. Again, CGS reviewed and acceded to this work in 2004. Water shifting in the soil at Gold Hill Mesa likely is causing the sinking and heaving, she hypothesized. There are no enormous cracks, theres nothing huge, theres no shifting where you see walls dropping or floors dropping, Elliott said. 1185 Gold Hill Mesa Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80905 is a 3,260 sqft, 5 bed, 4 bath home sold in 2021. And thats what we do. Homes for sale in Gold Hill Mesa, Colorado Springs, CO have a median listing home price of $435,000. Learn about the new phase coming soon to Gold Hill Mesa and other opportunities available in the Colorado Springs, CO, area by contacting our Internet Advisor at 719-639-2722. Looking out over Gold Hill Mesa, a housing development in Colorado Springs. You cant tell me the ground isnt moving, she said. Portions of Gold Hill Mesa sank a cumulative 3 inches over a six-year period, experts at the Colorado Geological Survey reported to city planners this April. But still he wrote, We contend that this is not a reason to expose additional homes and the public to largely unknown risks from ground subsidence.. We provide, they decide.. The Colorado Springs City Council spoke behind closed doors Monday about development at Gold Hill Mesa, where city planners recently halted wo Agency finds sinking at Gold Hill. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock). New reports of structural issues come in addition to the complaints of three residents, who filed lawsuits against their homebuilders and, in one case, the developer, claiming drainage problems, water damage, cracked foundation walls and foundation settlement, among other things. Yes, I'm a fan of Gold Hill Mesa and a resident. The biggest injustice to this neighborhood is the fact that people dont realize that we are actually helping Colorado Springs.. Im trying to tell the homeowner that its going to move more, he said. Lovekin encouraged city staff to compare the two data sets. Without new tests to ensure the land is safe and stable, Lovekin said, he cant condone more construction, especially considering the sinking elsewhere in the Gold Mesa neighborhood tracked by satellite images. At last check, our home is not sinking . Here you'll find a walkable, close-knit community where there's time to . The nature of those questions surprised us because. Risk for damage is most pronounced in areas where the ground is heaving or sinking at uneven rates, Hoyt said. Mr. Casey began working on the Gold Hill Mesa Project in 1999. I have not seen evidence of excessive settlement of structures, roadway improvements or utilities, or been advised by city officials that excessive settlement has occurred at Gold Hill Mesa, he later wrote to The Gazette. Often such movement can break or disconnect piping. Residents thinking out loud and scratching their heads where the "facts" the Gazette stated about Gold Hill Mesas sinking homes were coming from. In light of the impasse between state geologists and the developer, Colorado Springs planners and engineers have, for now, prevented work from beginning on the newest phase (Filing 11) of the development. I would call it a creek that flows out of their yard, she said. Haynie couldnt immediately say how many homes shes sold in Gold Hill Mesa but said her clients love the development. Their. CSU determined that it was a water service line leak, she wrote. Lovekin has said state geologists didnt voice their concerns on those past phases because city planners didnt ask for their input. The sump pump (has) been working, pumping gallons of water daily, sometimes multiple times a day, out into the alleyway behind our garage, she wrote. We are bringing custom, energy efficient homes to Mountain Shadows, Gold Hill Mesa and all of El Paso county for you. Cut through the cozy houses to the edge of the enclave where a pair of convertibles, a 1972 Cadillac Eldorado and 2002 . Access all of our premium content, get unlimited digital access and more! Lovekin shot back that Colorado Springs relied on such satellite technology to map and track separate, slow-moving landslides on the citys west side, which began damaging homes in 2015. I could not wait to get out of there.. Although he cited the data, Hoffmann did not reply when asked whether the ground surveys disproved the satellite analysis. The survey data, provided to The Gazette by Gold Hill Mesa, tracked movement at different points in the development. March 2015: RENTED 215 S Raven Mine Dr - Townhome - 1,885 sqf for rent at $1,500 - great space with 2 car garage. Now, with a viable engineered cap placed in accordance with the State approved clean-up plan, the property is safe for the residents living there, as the exposed tailings have been capped, eliminating exposure pathways. Grass and snow and landscaping could impact results, but these guys are looking at the corners of rooftops and other hard targets, Lovekin told The Gazette. Filing 2 is just west of that. Clemens said he has inspected thousands of homes in El Paso, Douglas, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties as well as in California and Kansas. In recent months, Gold Hill Mesa representatives have hosted seminars on the developments stability, the community and environment. Replace the downstairs bathroom vanity that was destroyed by the restoration company. A gap between a porch and its foundation of a home in Gold Hill Mesa can be seen in this photo taken last week. Sinking and heaving in Gold Hill Mesa is likely to continue, said Hoyt, the certified professional geologist, after he reviewed Lovekins report on the satellite analysis.