The first step in the approval process for the development of a new Air Force Academy Visitors Center, is complete. The Colorado Springs City Council recently agreed to annex nearly 200 acres, including the project site.
The Visitors Center could receive $13 million in state sales tax rebates over 25 years through the City for Champions initiative, designed to increase tourism and spur economic growth in Colorado Springs.
The center will occupy 35,000 square feet and cost $35 million, financed by the Department of Defense and private donations. The entire project, covering 57 acres, will include hotels, office space, a theater, a parking lot, a gift shop, a food court, a museum and a tourist information center.
GE Johnson broke ground in 2017 on Olympic Museum downtown, which is scheduled to reach completion in 2019 and groundbreaking on a sports medicine research center at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs is expected later this year.
The new Air Force Academy project is expected to be ready by 2024.
Rendering courtesy Air Force Academy