The fate of 10 townhomes that have outraged neighbors because they were built too high remains up in the air.

On Thursday,  a divided Colorado Springs Planning Commission postponed a decision on a request from the townhomes’ developer to allow the buildings. The developer’s request was made before saying this week that he plans to move them.

The commission voted 5-4 to postpone the decision for 30 days. Commissioners Carla Hartsell, Don Magill, Eric Phillips, Robert Shonkwiler and Janet Suthers voted in favor. Commissioners Diann Butlak, Dan Cleveland, Ed Gonzales and Mike Ham voted in opposition.

Commissioners who voted in support of the delay said it would give the developer time to work out the details of moving the townhomes while immediately addressing drainage concerns raised by neighbors.

“Nobody wanted to kick this thing down the road and say, ‘We’re not really going to deal with this issue.’ It was exactly the opposite. We wanted to get the attention focused in the best way possible,” Shonkwiler said afterward.

The developer, Todays Homes, initially asked the city to amend the original development plan, allowing the townhomes to remain where they were built even though they are in violation. After a public backlash, the company said it would move the buildings to a nearby location.

Matthew Ervin, the company’s director of operations and soon to be its new president, told commissioners that the company still has every intention of moving the 10 townhomes. But he asked for a postponement to further evaluate the situation.

“We are committed to moving the units,” he said. “That is our new strategy. Once we have a chance to meet with staff and discuss that in further detail, perhaps at that point in time we will withdraw.”

Suthers said she supported giving the developer more time to “think and regroup.”

“If you want to delay this for a month to figure out what your new strategy is going to be, hey, I’m supportive of that,” she said.

“It may be that you ultimately want to withdraw your appeal and that’s OK, too. One thing I’m concerned about is I don’t want to see the media control what happens on the Planning Commission,” she said.

During the meeting, Shonkwiler said a postponement may be the best way to get the company to act on its promises. If the commission denied the request, the company could appeal the decision to the City Council.

“We’ve made it pretty clear that we want to see some action, so I think we actually probably get more guaranteed action if we postpone it,” Shonkwiler said. “If we don’t postpone it, then they’ve got appeal rights and they can do this and that.”

Three neighbors attended Thursday’s hearing, and two of them urged the commission to take action and immediately deny the developer’s request for an amendment.

Jeanne English said the project has affected her life and job.

“Every time something happens, I have to take off of work,” she said.

English called the situation “pretty crummy.”

“This is not development. This is just total takeover,” she said.

Other neighbors complained about drainage problems, which Ervin promised to fix right away, an important point for commissioners who voted in favor of the postponement.

“We’ll jump on this and get it corrected. That’s our commitment,” Ervin said.

Hartsell reminded Ervin that Todays Homes failed to live up to its previous commitments.

“I hope you understand why nobody believes you. It’s almost incomprehensible how somebody could build something so out of compliance,” she said. “There’s always going to be a suspicion of doubt.”

—Contact Daniel Chacón: 476-1623Twitter @danieljchaconFacebook Daniel Chacon

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