"It's a shopping district. It's not a cut through," Brandi Haskins, co-owner of FFO Goods, told KKTV in August. For most of the year that idea is only an argument. Over the next five weeks it gets tested with real crowds. Trick or Treat Street and the Christmas Stroll are the biggest foot-traffic days of the season on West Colorado Avenue. This year, for the first time, they fall on a street the City has restriped to slow cars down. The City is collecting data on that street right now, and the data will help decide what the historic core looks like for decades.
What changed between Limit Street and 30th
This summer the City of Colorado Springs restriped Colorado Avenue from four lanes to three. There is now one through lane in each direction and a center turn lane. KKTV reported the new layout was in place by August. In May, the Gazette reported the City's plan to start restriping in June at the east end and work west a few blocks a day. The City's project page runs the test from Limit Street to 30th Street, with the lanes transitioning between 29th and 30th. It lists delineators, pedestrian crossings, redesignated parking, and bump-outs within Old Colorado City. The Gazette's earlier description put the west end at 31st Street.
City officials told the Gazette it is the biggest update to the west-side neighborhood in 40 years. The first phase costs about $375,000, paid through the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority extension voters approved in 2022. Ryan Phipps, the City's capital improvements manager, gave the safety reasoning: "Historically, Colorado Avenue does have an issue with higher speeds, a lot of rear-end collisions and T-bone (collisions)."
The new layout also lets cars park along longer stretches of curb. The Gazette reported that adds about 30 parking spaces to Old Colorado City, all of them metered. Those extra spaces will matter most on the days covered below.
Why the City is running it as a test
The City calls this a demonstration phase, and it says plainly why. Colorado Avenue is "a main street, a historic district, a business destination, and a transportation route all at once." The test can last up to 12 months, and the City is collecting data on traffic flow, speeds, and safety along the way. After that comes permanent reconstruction, with construction starting in 2027 or 2028. The City's project map puts the streetscape work in the core, beginning between 23rd and 24th Streets and ending before 28th.
Those core blocks are where Trick or Treat Street and the Christmas Stroll take place. So the rebuild's stated goals line up closely with what happens on an event day. The City's list includes more safe pedestrian crossings, "comfortable, all-season public spaces," more outdoor dining and retail, and keeping or adding on-street parking where it can. A fall Saturday with families walking from shop to shop is the kind of day those goals describe, and it is happening on the test layout.
What businesses on the Avenue told reporters
Opinions along the Avenue are mixed, and they split on traffic versus parking. Nick and Brandi Haskins opened FFO Goods at 2708-B W. Colorado Ave. in March, shortly before the restriping. Nick Haskins told KKTV the street feels "a lot more calming," with "a lot less speeding, a lot less noise," and safer for people getting in and out of their cars.
In the same KKTV report, a cyclist passing through pointed out there are still no bike lanes. Nina Hamilton, bar manager at Thunder and Buttons, said the lanes don't address paid parking, which she believes has slowed the bar's nighttime business. KKTV noted the City has defended the meters. The City says the revenue pays for road and parking improvements and that time limits keep spaces turning over.
The Avenue has also lost a business this fall. Base Camp Restaurant at 2611 W. Colorado Ave. closed on Oct. 4 after opening in March 2025, the Gazette reported.
That mix of opinions explains why the holiday weeks matter. Traffic and parking feedback so far comes from ordinary weeks. Event days put both under the most pressure at once.
The calendar from here
Two fall staples are already over. Pumpkins in the Park ran on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Old Colorado City Farmers Market ended its Saturday season at Bancroft Park, 2408 W. Colorado Ave., on Oct. 17. Here is what's still ahead on the new layout:
- Scarecrow Days, through Saturday, Oct. 31. Scarecrows line West Colorado Avenue all month. Event listing.
- Trick or Treat Street, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2 to 4:30 p.m. It's for children ages 1 to 6 and runs along the 23rd-to-28th Street blocks, which is nearly the same stretch planned for the permanent streetscape. Event listing.
- The Christmas Stroll, Saturday, Nov. 28, 4 to 7 p.m. Santa is at his cabin in Bancroft Park from noon to 8 p.m. Live reindeer, fire pits, and hot cocoa run from 4 to 7. Dickens Carolers, street musicians, and costumed characters fill the Avenue, and shops run specials all day. Event listing.
Organizers can change event details, so check the listing before you head out.
Parking on the two big Saturdays
Parking depends on which Saturday it is. Halloween is a regular Saturday for the meters. The Stroll falls on Small Business Saturday, which the City lists as a free-meter holiday.
| Trick or Treat Street, Oct. 31 | Christmas Stroll, Nov. 28 | |
|---|---|---|
| Street meters | Enforced, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free; Small Business Saturday is a City meter holiday |
| Four City lots | $1 an hour | Rate page lists $1 an hour; free only on Sundays |
| Organizer listing | No parking note | Advertises "FREE PARKING!" |
Meter prices go up the closer you park to the center and the longer you stay. On the City's parking page, gold-stickered meters start at $1.50 an hour, green at $1.25, and blue at $1. KRDO reported that the $1.50 zone covers the heart of Old Colorado City. You can pay at the meter with coins or a card, through the ParkMobile app, or by texting "PAY" to 77447.
The four City-owned lots are:
- 26th Street Lot, 2615 W. Cucharras St.
- Pikes Peak Lot, 2515 W. Pikes Peak Ave.
- Cucharras Lot, 2422 W. Cucharras Ave.
- Colorado Alley Lot, 2617 W. Colorado Ave.
The Stroll listing doesn't say whether its free parking includes these lots, and the City's rate page still lists them at $1 an hour on any day but Sunday. Check the sign posted at the lot before you skip the kiosk. The City also asks visitors to be considerate of people who live near the lots.
Two more free windows can help with a quieter visit. Street meters are free after 8 p.m. every night and before 1 p.m. on Sundays, and all four lots are free on Sundays. Veterans Day on Nov. 11 and Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 26 are also on the City's free-meter list.
After the decorations come down
The test runs into 2027. The City expects its next step around late spring 2027, with more community engagement, KKTV reported. The City has not yet published any speed or safety results. Its project page still has a general feedback survey and says more ways to weigh in are in development. If you drive the Avenue to work and then walk it on the Stroll, you'll see the street from both sides the City is trying to balance, and the survey is where that feedback goes.
The blocks between 24th and 27th Streets are set for reconstruction in 2027 or 2028. So this season, and maybe next season too, is likely among the last on the old pavement. The next Christmas Strolls should happen on wider sidewalks.
At Behr and Behr Team, we follow changes like the Colorado Avenue rebuild closely because they affect how a neighborhood works day to day, and that shapes what a home near it is worth. If you own near the Avenue and want to know where your home stands as the street changes, Request a Free Home Valuation and we'll go through it with you over a cup of cocoa.
