Community Input Analysis Report
El Paso County, Colorado
June 2026
A. SurveyMonkey Timeframe: November 2025 – February 2026 | Total Respondents: 613
B. Website comments: goldfieldcorridorplan.com | Total Respondents: 100
C. In-person Open House Summary, December 2, 2025 | Approximately 40 attendees
D. Virtual Open House Summary, December 3, 2025 | Approximately 30 participants
Community Engagement Outreach
Outreach tools used to inform the public about the Goldfield Corridor Concept Plan and Survey included:
• Goldfield Corridor Plan website launched, November 2025. More than 2750 unique site visitors through March 18, 2026
• Goldfield Corridor Plan SurveyMonkey, November 2025 – February 2026
• Postcard mailing to 9400 properties in zip codes surrounding Goldfield Corridor
• Public in-person open house, December 2, 2025, approximately 40 attendees
• Public virtual open house, December 3, 2025, approximately 30 participants
• Six enewsletters distributed to more than 400 on the database; redistributed by several stakeholders to their constituents
• Three separate social media notices posted by several project stakeholders to their social media pages
• Several news media reports appeared promoting the study and the survey
Executive Summary
Public input on the Goldfield Corridor Concept Plan was received through four primary outreach tools/events: SurveyMonkey, Website Survey, an in-person Open House and a virtual Open House. The goal was to understand community thoughts, concerns, and questions about a proposal to convert Goldfield Drive to a trail system for the purpose of addressing safety issues and to improve connectivity. While there are currently no plans to convert the road, the Fountain Mutual Metro District (sponsor of the study), along with numerous project stakeholders and property owners in the area, began a discussion about potential ways to address the recurring issues in the area including dumping and crime as well as a lack of a loop around Big Johnson Reservoir, and limited trails and trail system connectivity.
Goldfield Corridor Concept Plan SurveyMonkey:
Gathered input from 613 residents of the southeast El Paso County area regarding a proposal to convert Goldfield Drive into a recreational trail. The survey was conducted via SurveyMonkey from November 2025 through February 2026, with 611–613 responses across most questions. It’s important to note that because the SurveyMonkey was self-selected, it is neither random nor statistically representative. Because many respondents indicated that they reside near Goldfield Drive, the results may reflect the views of nearby residents; however, they should not be considered statistically representative.
Survey results indicated a consistent majority opposed to converting Goldfield Drive to a trail primarily coming from residents located near the corridor. Across multiple questions framing the issue from different angles, roughly 62–66% of respondents opposed the conversion. Approximately 67.1% of respondents indicated they reside in the 80911-zip code/Goldfield Corridor area. Common concerns cited by respondents included potential traffic impacts on adjacent roads, loss of vehicular access through the corridor, emergency response considerations, and the role of Goldfield Drive as a commuter route.
Approximately 29–34% of respondents support the conversion, citing desires for improved trail connectivity, reduced illegal dumping, enhanced open space access, and long-term recreational value for the region.
Key Insight
62% of respondents opposed converting Goldfield Drive to a trail (Q8), and 66% would not support the change even knowing it would improve open space access (Q14).
The average importance score for keeping vehicular traffic on Goldfield Drive was 68.6 out of 100 (Q7), compared to 35.9 for removing it (Q6).
SurveyMonkey Respondent Profile – Geographic Distribution
The survey reached 611 respondents across multiple zip codes. The vast majority represent the immediately affected neighborhoods:
| Zip Code | Area | Responses | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80911 | Primary area (Goldfield corridor) | 410 | 67.1% |
| 80817 | Fountain / Security-Widefield | 63 | 10.3% |
| 80925 | East Colorado Springs | 63 | 10.3% |
| 80916 | Southeast Colorado Springs | 4 | 0.7% |
| Other | Various El Paso County zip codes | 71 | 11.6% |
Other zip codes represented in the 'Other' category include 80906, 80904, 80909, 80905, 80903, 80918, 80920, and others, indicating broader community interest beyond the immediate area.
Goldfield Corridor Concept Plan Website (GoldfieldCorridorPlan.com): Was open for comments from November 2025 through February 2026. The website comments reflected a broader mix of residents, trails advocates, birders, Fountain Valley School Community, and public interested in the concept plan.
Unlike the survey where 62–66% opposed conversion, the website comments show a more evenly divided community, with a slight lean toward opposition when mixed/conditional responses are excluded. From the website comments, approximately
The higher proportion of mixed/conditional responses in the website channel is notable. Many website commenters support the concept but have specific conditions — primarily around maintaining parking/drive-up access near the reservoir, ensuring accessibility for elderly and disabled users, and improving connecting infrastructure on Fontaine Boulevard. Many conditional supporters expressed interest in design modifications related to parking access, accessibility, and connecting infrastructure.
Goldfield Corridor Open Houses:
In-person, December 2, 2025
Virtual, December 3, 2025
A majority of the approximately 40 attendees at the in-person Open House indicated that they live or own property in the area adjacent to Goldfield Drive.
A majority of the attendees indicated they did not support transitioning the road to a trail primarily because they like driving the road through the existing open space. Several attendees expressed concern that removing the road would shift dumping to other areas, and that converting the road to a trail would make the open space less accessible. Other concerns expressed were that the plan would increase traffic issues at other points where traffic problems already occur and that it would be more costly to convert the road to a trail than to rebuild/repair the bridge.
While many the voices who commented during the formal meeting opposed the plan, there were many conversations after the formal meeting with attendees who indicated they were reluctant to speak publicly during the meeting but believed a trail could provide a long-term recreational benefit to the community.
Meeting participants at the virtual Open House primarily raised questions as opposed to voicing comments of opposition or support for the concept plan. Questions were primarily about bridge repairs, water supply security, and the potential for dog waste issues. The group discussed connecting the trail to existing paths and the need for restrooms, which were not currently part of the plan.
SURVEYMONKEY RESULTS
1. Respondent Profile
Geographic Distribution (Q1)
The survey reached 611 respondents across multiple zip codes. The vast majority represent the immediately affected neighborhoods:
| Zip Code | Area | Responses | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80911 | Primary area (Goldfield corridor) | 410 | 67.1% |
| 80817 | Fountain / Security-Widefield | 63 | 10.3% |
| 80925 | East Colorado Springs | 63 | 10.3% |
| 80916 | Southeast Colorado Springs | 4 | 0.7% |
| Other | Various El Paso County zip codes | 71 | 11.6% |
Other zip codes represented in the 'Other' category include 80906, 80904, 80909, 80905, 80903, 80918, 80920, and others, indicating broader community interest beyond the immediate area.
2. Current Use Patterns
Open Space Visitation (Q2)
Respondents were asked how often they visit the Bluestem Prairie Open Space. Results show a split community, with 77% visiting at least occasionally but a notable 23% who never visit:
Notably, 38.5% of respondents visit at least weekly (combining daily and once-a-week visitors), indicating strong existing engagement with the open space for those who do use it.
Reasons for Visiting the Open Space (Q3)
Respondents could select all applicable reasons. The most common reported use was driving through the corridor, which exceeded all other reported uses
Over half of all respondents identified using Goldfield Drive as a vehicle cut-through as their primary relationship with the corridor — more than double the next most common use (nature walks at 28%). More than half of respondents identified the corridor as a vehicle route, making it the most frequently selected use.