Banning Lewis is a popular neighborhood in northeast Colorado Springs. Surely not every neighborhood is perfect, but how perfect is Banning Lewis Ranch? If you want to know the details about living in this highly rated Banning Lewis Ranch community then this video is for you.
Banning Lewis Schools
Banning Lewis is suitable for all stages of life. What started off as a successful 30,000 acre cattle-ranching endeavor managed by Raymond and Ruth Lewis has grown into one of the fastest growing communities in Colorado Springs. Banning Lewis is located on the northeast side of Colorado Springs off Woodmen road and Marksheffel road and has several schools including Inspiration View Elementary School. Inspiration View Elementary is prek-5th grade. Banning Lewis Ranch Academy which is a K-8 school and Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy. What I personally love about the K-8 school is that your child can stay in the same school with the same teachers, friends, environment, supportive staff and admin for their first 8 years of education. Banning Lewis follows school district 49.
Amenities
As previously mentioned, Banning Lewis Ranch prides itself on experiences. Between food trucks, farmer’s market, parks, pickleball and tennis courts, and yes...a zipline, you really don’t have to leave the community much for entertainment. There is the Ranch House with a pool and a splash pad, complimentary grills and loads of open spaces and playgrounds. And don’t forget the dogs! They get their own park, too. The raised community garden is one of my favorite features! The fitness room has high tech machines and free weights and offers Zumba and yoga. With plenty of meeting space, you can catch some alone time or catch up with a friend.
Homes
I get a lot of questions from buyers looking to buy their home in Banning Lewis Ranch. That’s why I decided to make this video. There’s a lot to talk about here! There are options for housing in this top community in Colorado Springs. Housing prices can vary from about $400,000 and up. You can build new and custom, or buy an existing home. Houses in this area sell fairly quickly, with the median days on market being 4 days and the average home is sold about 2.6% over asking. This is important to know so that when you are writing an offer on a house, you want to be able to make sure your offer is enticing or in the ballpark of enticing. With the vast difference of pricing in Banning Lewis Ranch, it’s difficult to get an accurate “typical” average price for homes in this neighborhood, but the median price over 2021 as of 10.29.21 was $463,500 according to the Pikes Peak Association of REALTORS® (information deemed reliable but not guaranteed).
According to Banning Lewis Ranch, The heritage of Colorado Springs will be reflected in Banning Lewis Ranch through an eclectic mix of authentic architectural styles including (but not limited to) Colorado Craftsman, Mid-Century Colonial, Spanish Hacienda, Prairie, Monterey, Ranch Hacienda, Ranch Territorial, Colorado Traditional, Western Regional Farmhouse, Cottage, Italianate, Front Range, Bungalow and more. So you really get a robust variety to choose from. With the intent to keep this culture in Banning Lewis Ranch, there are covenants and restrictions for design on your property.
Pros and Cons of Living in Banning Lewis Ranch
This leads me right into the first con of living in Banning Lewis Ranch. You don’t have free reign on the design of your home. You have to get permission from the Metro District and Design Review committee. The rules are pretty specific, right down to the thickness of vinyl siding to the colors and materials. One example would be fencing. It's quite an ordeal with submissions and approvals and completion inspections. If you’re thinking about adding on a deck later or sprucing up the backyard for entertaining, just make sure your vision aligns with the community.
I interviewed several homeowners and sold a house in Banning Lewis Ranch myself, so I gathered some feedback from actual neighbors. The second con was that the neighborhood can get pretty congested in the mornings around schools’ start, after school and after work around 5pm. Not only with cars but with pedestrians as well. Be careful with all the students and their families walking home from school and try to take a lesser utilized route out of the neighborhood. There’s not too many neighborhood exits.
The final con is that the main road is only one lane from north of North Carefree and Marksheffel to Woodmen. This can make exiting the neighborhood a nightmare of traffic in the morning, especially in the bad weather. Plan ahead. District 49 is pretty good, however, about 2 hour delays and snow days for the safety of parents, students and staff. Which leads me to the last con of snow drifts. Since Banning Lewis Ranch has fewer trees and sits a bit on a hill, the high winds and snow can cause some pretty high snow drifts during the winter months. This area tends to get a lot more snow and ice on the roads. Now let’s look at the pros. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.
The first pro is that schools are within walking distance. This gives you the opportunity to get some exercise with everyone every morning and walk the kids to school without having to get in the car. This is a great bonding experience and allows you to focus on just dropping the kids off at school and spending just a few more intimate moments with your babes.
The pro tied to this pro is that you can take your dog as well, stop off at the dog park or visit the trails on the way home. It’s definitely much more convenient to get your exercise or hike in when it’s in the neighborhood. I have this nice little trail I walk in my neighborhood by the kids’ school. It’s peaceful and there’s a lot of trees and nature so it doesn’t really feel like i’m in a community, but almost as if I drove to a hiking area similar to Palmer Park or something.
Now I know we can’t all just take our sweet time enjoying the outdoors all morning long, but it’s nice to have the option when you can. And if you have a day off you can stop by the rec center and relax a little. There’s so many things to do in Banning Lewis Ranch within walking distance, which is the next pro! Banning Lewis has events and activities galore. Some of which include the farmer’s market, summer concerts, fireworks, food trucks, pumpkin patch and trunk or treat events, workshops, just to name a few.
Did I mention there’s so much to do in Banning Lewis Ranch? Another pro is the water park and pools. Have you ever gotten your family or friends ready, got your swimsuits on, sunscreen yourself and your crew, grabbed all your towels and extra clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses, a great book to read, headphones for some sun bathing and music, drove to a public pool before realizing you forgot your 2 year old’s floaties? Or maybe you got there and the pool was at capacity so you either had to wait on the playground or drive around town looking for another pool? This has happened to me on several occasions and I forked out some cash in the process. Not in Banning Lewis. Just walk over and if you forget something you can just walk back. Or drive, whichever you prefer. There’s also a nice water park in the neighborhood so if you’re not up for the full poolside experience, head over to the water park.
Another pro is if you prefer a home maintained by the HOA, you can select an area within Banning Lewis Ranch. You pay a higher HOA fee, but you get snow removal, lawn management, etc.
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The Banning Lewis Ranch website is full of information on everything that’s going on in the neighborhood. I love that it has a one stop location for all things related so you can stay in the loop at all times. They even have a regular newsletter so you can see what’s going on, meet some members of the community and learn the events’ spotlights.
According to their website, Banning Lewis Ranch was inspired by family-friendly styles from Irvine, California, back in 2007. These special touches were intentional as the builders put in the porches, garages, and even the chimney designs. With carriage and bungalow style homes, these classic values make up this growing, experience filled community. This highly rated Colorado Springs Neighborhood has been voted #1 Master Planned Community for the last 7 years and featured in the Gazette’s Best of Colorado Springs Communities. Head over to the Resident’s Corner on the Banning Lewis Ranch website to learn more about living in this community.
IRIS BURTON
PROSPERITY PROPERTIES GROUP
Brokered by eXp
Colorado Springs, CO REALTOR®
https://www.irisburton.com/
irisjburton@gmail.com
719.315.5016
