Landslides on Colorado Springs’ west side have prompted city officials to seek federal funding to buy out at least 20 damaged homes that sit on moving land.

In May, record-breaking rainfall aggravated an infamous problem in southwest Colorado Springs – landslides, which threaten to crack homes in half or swallow them. About 40 homeowners in the Skyway and Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhoods have contacted the city about damage from landslides, and at least half of them have said they are interested in a buyout. If purchased, the homes would be razed and the land barred from further development.

Two of the homes on the city’s list have been condemned for human habitation, said Gordon Brenner, the city’s recovery coordinator. They are not safe to live in unless their landslide damage is fixed.

“Our first concern, though, is for the safety of people,” Brenner said. “No one can live in those houses.”

The city’s request – which would cover the cost of buyouts and demolition – will likely far exceed the amount it will get, Brenner said. While the city cannot guarantee all homes on the list will be bought out, the scale of the landslides is the city’s largest in nearly 20 years.

The last major buyout of 22 homes came after heavy rains in April 1999 triggered landslides in some of the same neighborhoods. At the time, the city received $4 million to buy the homes, which were destroyed or sold to nonprofits.

From Rockrimmon to the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs’ west side is prone to landslides. The geology west of Interstate 25 has long been a case study in instability – an area plagued by landslides, debris flows and rockfall, said Jonathan Lovekin, a senior engineering geologist with the Colorado Geological Survey.

“We have poster children for every one of those things,” said Lovekin. “(Build) anything west of I-25, and you start getting some issues.”

Once landslides begin they can’t be stopped, although the slides can progress over months or years.

Last spring’s heavy rains lubricated the west side bedrock and helped the land to shift – instead of solid earth, the ground turned to mush.

This summer, one homeowner on Constellation Drive watched as a 12-foot cliff formed under his front door. Below him, his neighbors on Zodiac Drive watched as land buckled towards their homes. One of the homes on Zodiac is among the two that have been condemned.

The city intends to apply for buyout money through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, a federal grant administered by the state. The grant can cover 75 percent of all costs, but local agencies and private property owners will have to cover the remainder.

While it has submitted a list of 20 homes with owners who have expressed interest in buyouts, the city does not know how much money it will get, Brenner said.

The city will host three informational meetings in February for homeowners who might be affected by the landslides; dates, times and locations have not been determined. Meanwhile, concerned homeowners can email the city at landslideinfo@springsgov.com