Karman Line developer alleges false information in petition

The team behind the Karman Line development has asked El Paso County's district attorney to look into a petition campaign that opposes their annexation plan. They claim that the campaign used false information to gather signatures. The Karman Line development, which aims to build thousands of homes near Schriever Space Force Base, was approved by the Colorado Springs City Council in January. However, many local residents opposed the annexation because they were worried about overdevelopment. A petition campaign collected 31,000 signatures from voters to force a public vote on the issue. The complaint, filed by the Gessler Blue Law firm on March 6, alleges that paid signature gatherers misled people about what they were signing. Some claimed the petition was aimed at fixing roads, while others made false statements about water supply and environmental studies. The attorney representing Norris Ranch, the investor group behind the project, stated that these actions could violate state laws. Videos provided with the complaint show signature gatherers making misleading claims. The city has yet to confirm if the petition gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot measure. The campaign reportedly paid professional signature gatherers around $250,000. Daniel Cole, who leads the canvassing effort, defended the campaign, saying that many claims made were reasonable concerns about water supply. He also denied involvement from his nonprofit, Colorado Dawn, in the signature-gathering effort, though the complaint suggested that Colorado Dawn played a role. The complaint speculates that Norwood Development Group, a major local developer, financed the signature campaign to undermine the Karman Line project, as they would face competition from the new homes planned in the annexed area. However, Norwood CEO Chris Jenkins has not commented on the allegations.