Flying Horse is still flying high on Colorado Springs’ far north side.

Classic Cos. plans to more than double the size of the Lodge at Flying Horse — an expansion that signals continued growth at its Flying Horse development that has become one of the city’s more popular high-end projects since its annexation 15 years ago. Flying Horse covers nearly 1,600 acres, mostly southwest of Colorado 83 and North Gate Boulevard.

The Lodge at Flying Horse would increase to about 100 rooms from 48 and help Classic attract more business from employers who want to use the hotel’s nearly 3,750 square feet of meeting space for conferences and corporate gatherings, Classic CEO Doug Stimple said. Meetings and events also take place in the nearby Club at Flying Horse.

Classic, a longtime area homebuilder and developer, added the Lodge at Flying Horse because Colorado Springs’ far north side lacked an upscale boutique hotel — a smaller and more intimate facility with nicely appointed rooms and meeting space, Stimple said. FedEx, Progressive Insurance, Cherwell Software, Bal-Seal Engineering and the Compassion International ministry are among several north-side employers.

The hotel — with 40 guest rooms and four separate villas each with two bedrooms — has done well since its 2015 opening and drawn meetings and other events, Stimple said.

But the venue needs additional rooms to attract more corporate get-togethers with larger numbers of guests, he said.

“What we have found is that by not having 100 rooms, we can’t play in certain segments of that corporate meeting (business), where they need to be able to accommodate 60 or 100 rooms, and we only had 48,” he said.

Classic hopes to break ground on the expansion by June or July and finish in 2020.

The hotel is among several amenities at Flying Horse, which Classic developed as an upscale, predominantly residential master-planned community, Stimple said. The company bought the Flying Horse ranch in 1999 and sought to have it annexed in 2003. Springs officials approved the annexation, which drew opposition from some area residents who complained the project would drain water supplies and other city resources.

Flying Horse now has about 1,400 single-family homes, with room for 600 to 800 more, Stimple said. Prices range from the $300,000s to more than $1 million.

One of the last components being added at Flying Horse: commercial uses, which include medical services, retail and a new office building where Classic will move its headquarters from Colorado Springs’ northwest side.

A 7-Eleven, Subway, Josh & John’s ice cream and Walter’s 303 restaurant are among businesses that have located in The Shoppes at Flying Horse on the northwest corner of Colorado 83 and North Gate Boulevard; Classic has tried but has been unsuccessful in attracting a grocery at the intersection’s southwest corner.

One Flying Horse project that’s not expected to be built anytime soon: a roughly 2-mile stretch of Powers Boulevard that’s supposed to run through the development, starting at Colorado 83 on the south and connecting to Voyager Parkway on the west. A lack of state and local funding means the project is many years away, Stimple said.

While Flying Horse continues to develop in Colorado Springs, Classic has moved ahead with plans for Flying Horse North — another upscale residential project, with a golf course, in the unincorporated Black Forest area to the northeast.

Classic plans 283 luxury homes on about 1,400 acres southwest of Black Forest and Hodgen roads. El Paso County officials approved an initial phase of the project last year, despite protests from area residents who said it would compromise traffic safety and use too much groundwater.

Construction should begin soon on the first homes in Flying Horse North, with completion late this year or in early 2020, Stimple said. The golf course is expected to be playable by spring of next year.

One of the housing areas with views of Pikes Peak at the high-end Flying Horse development on the far north side of Colorado Springs.

Photo by Dougal Brownlie

One of the housing areas has a gated entrance at the high-end Flying Horse development. 

Photo by Dougal Brownlie

The Club at Flying Horse. 

Photo by Dougal Brownlie

The Steakhouse at Flying Horse  is one of the amenities at the high-end development in far north Colorado Springs. Developer Classic Cos. plans to expand the Lodge at Flying Horse and add homes as part of another project. 

Photo by Dougal Brownlie