Matrix and Blue & Silver Development Partners were selected by the United States Air Force to create a comprehensive Master Plan for the 58-acre TrueNorth Commons Visitor Center site at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA). The vision for the new development is to embrace and reflect the overall history and character of the USAFA campus while providing an architecturally iconic experience. Because it is a State-selected City for Champions project, the Visitor Center boasts a Master Plan that includes a mix of complementary, nonresidential uses, such as commercial, hotel, office, and retail/restaurant, all of which are integrated in design and function.

Matrix coordinated annexation of the development parcel into the City of Colorado Springs and worked with multiple government agencies — including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office, and the Environmental Protection Agency — to conduct an environmental assessment of the property.

Matrix’s structural engineers designed a $2 million pedestrian bridge that frames a new, multilane roundabout at the development entrance and connects the hotel and Visitor Center. We also completed a master development drainage study that analyzes the site’s existing and future drainage patterns to facilitate mitigation of any impacts to downstream infrastructure. Off-site utility engineering included the design of a 12-inch, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) water main; an eight-inch HDPE water main; and a six-inch HDPE force main requiring multiple directional bores across Interstate 25 and Smith Creek to provide service to the site. Our team coordinated extensively with the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Springs Utilities to complete the work efficiently and in compliance with all regulations and standards.