Weidner Apartment Homes is preparing to break ground this summer on the second phase of its Experience at Epicenter apartment and retail complex adjacent to Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs.

The seven-story, 410-unit mixed-use building will be built on roughly 4.5 acres at 650 S. Sierra Madre St., at the northwest corner of the intersection at South Sierra Madre and West Rio Grande streets, planning documents show.

Developers expect to break ground in August on this phase of the project, Weidner Apartment Homes’ Development Director Nick Nowotarski said.

A number of existing warehouses and an outdoor parking lot on the site are in the process of being demolished, he said. Developers are currently working through the abatement and general permitting processes.

Phase 2 will extend the Moreno Plaza pedestrian walkway to the west side of Sierra Madre and will include 12,000 square feet of retail space along the building’s north side, wrapping around to its northeast side, planning documents show.

Amenities include courtyards and community pool, a fitness center, coworking space, and a top-floor sky deck adjacent to Weidner Field, Nowotarski said. The 8,000-seat outdoor stadium opened in 2021 as part of the city’s City for Champions projects and is home to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks soccer team owned by Weidner Apartment Homes.

A 766-stall structured parking garage will be integrated into the building with public access, according to planning documents. Three hundred additional public parking spaces are planned at the site.

Nowotarski highlighted plans for the expanded, 100-foot-wide Moreno Plaza, roughly twice the depth of the plaza on the east side of Sierra Madre Street directly behind Weidner Field. It will include dining areas, kids’ play structures, a dog park, a seasonal ice rink and a seasonal splash pad, expansive pedestrian areas and landscapes, he said.

He highlighted how the Experience at Epicenter project exemplifies the legacy of W. Dean Weidner, Weidner Apartment Homes’ late founder and chairman who died in March at the age of 83.

“He grew up in Colorado Springs … (and) the city has always been very close to his heart. We wanted to do something that was going to be special and could be kind of his gift to the community,” Nowotarski said of the Experience at Epicenter project.

Friends, family and colleagues have memorialized Weidner as a man “deeply committed” to people and his communities, a leader in the real estate industry who held “a lifelong passion to improve the multifamily landscape.”

Nowotarski added: “We had lots of design meetings on (Experience at Epicenter). It’s about making spaces where you can get to know your neighbors, take your dog for a walk or go get a nice meal together. It gives people a reason to get together and that’s what he wanted to bring with (Moreno Plaza).”

Leasing activity has been strong at Experience at Epicenter since the first apartments were opened in September 2024. The first phase brought 408 units online, as well as amenities including a rooftop lounge, fitness center, clubhouse and pool in a mid-rise building behind Weidner Field. At the end of April, it was about 95% occupied, which is considered healthy or “stabilized,” Nowotarski said.

Phase 2 construction is expected to be completed in about three years, Nowotarski said.

Once construction is underway, developers will begin designing the third and final phase of the 1,200-unit, three-building project.