Rail-served industrial parks are laid out around the track before they are laid out around the buildings, and an owner who reverses that order pays for it in curved spurs, dead-end yards and lots that no tenant can use. We bring that discipline to Fountain, where we build warehouse shells, shops and yards, and where we plan the site work that connects them to rail and highway.
The clearest local example is a planning study, not a built project. A 2018 county, city and chamber study examined a rail-served industrial park on the roughly 3,000-acre Christian Ranch just south of Fountain, with more than 2,500 acres proposed for industrial use and about 18 miles of internal track connecting to both BNSF and Union Pacific; the study was budgeted at $125,000. We reference it because it shows how local agencies think about large industrial land here, and what a developer or tenant would eventually need: track geometry, drainage, utilities and phased building pads.
Whether an owner buys a small lot in town or considers a future rail-served park, the first deliverable is the same: a site plan that shows the track, the truck aprons, the building envelopes and the utility corridors in one drawing. We prepare it in preconstruction and use it to price the land before the purchase is final.
Laying out track, truck and building together
A rail-served building needs a siding with usable length, a turnout geometry the railroad will approve and a clear envelope around the track. We start by drawing the track and then placing the building to leave room for car spotting, loading and a truck apron on the opposite side. Rail spur and site improvements are coordinated with the railroad's engineers, who review the connection and the crossing protection.
Once the track is set, we place utilities and drainage. Rail beds do not tolerate standing water, so we design the track subgrade, ballast section and side ditches before the building pad is graded. The result is a site where the rail yard drains away from the building and the truck court drains to its own inlet.
Pikes Peak code and Fountain permits
Fountain adopted the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code, which carries the 2021 International Building Code, by Ordinance 1785 (passed April 11, 2023, effective April 30, 2023, implementation June 30, 2023). The regional framework gives owners a consistent set of rules across neighboring communities, which helps a company with sites in more than one jurisdiction.
Local amendments, fire department requirements and utility standards still apply, and we confirm them with the reviewing offices before design is released. For rail-served buildings, the railroad's requirements for clearances, drainage and crossings add a parallel review. We map both reviews on the schedule so no approval is discovered late.
Fort Carson and the supplier network
Fort Carson borders Fountain and reports that 82 percent of its soldiers and their families, 57,144 people, live off post, and counts 23,716 active-duty soldiers and a $2.67 billion total economic impact (fact sheet as of February 2026). A population of that size lives, shops and works in surrounding cities, which supports demand for trades, supply, repair and logistics businesses.
Those businesses need practical space: warehouses with dock-high and grade-level doors, shops with floor drains and compressed air, and yards for vehicles. We build them as pre-engineered or tilt-wall structures depending on the loads and the owner's schedule, and we leave room for expansion. Owners in logistics and distribution appreciate a layout that lets a carrier turn and load without blocking a public street.
Staging a first building on a larger site
On a site that may grow, the first building should not block the second. We pour the first slab, erect the shell and complete site utilities in a sequence that leaves the next pad graded and stubbed. Roads, drainage and utility trunks are sized for the full site even if only part is built.
Winter and wind affect schedule at this elevation. Concrete placed in cold weather needs protection, and crane picks stop in high wind, so we plan the steel erection for the calmer season where possible. The schedule shows float for both.
Fountain Creek and drainage discipline
Fountain sits on Fountain Creek at an elevation of 5,558 feet, and the creek's floodplain and drainage corridors shape which parts of a parcel can be built. It is a home rule city of 29,802 residents at the 2020 census, about 10 miles south of downtown Colorado Springs and just east of Fort Carson. We obtain floodplain mapping and drainage studies before laying out a building, and we raise finished floor and equipment elevations where the mapping calls for it.
Erosion and sediment control during construction is another compliance item. Silt fences, inlet protection and stabilized construction entrances keep sediment out of the creek and satisfy the stormwater permit. We inspect them weekly and after storms, and we document the inspections.
Utilities and fire protection for a rail-served building
A rail-served warehouse often stores bulk or palletized goods that raise fire protection questions: commodity class, rack height and sprinkler density. We obtain the owner's insurer requirements and the fire authority's criteria before the shell is finalized, because water supply and pump size can decide whether the site needs a tank or a looped main.
Power and gas follow the same logic. Rail unloading may call for lighting in the yard, heated enclosures for equipment and conduit crossing the track, and each must be designed to clear the railroad's envelope. We coordinate utility crossings early with both the provider and the railroad so the trench and the permit are ready on the same date.
Neighbors on the I-25 corridor
Many Fountain owners also look at Colorado Springs to the north for airport-area business parks and at Pueblo to the south for larger rail-served land. We build in both and can compare sites on land cost, utilities, access and review time.
The comparison matters when a company is choosing between a small local building and a larger regional site. We estimate each using the same format, so the owner sees where the difference comes from.
Send the parcel and the rail question
Send us the parcel, the building program and whether rail service is part of the plan. We will return a site layout with track, apron and building, a code and review path, and a schedule.
Common Questions
Is the Christian Ranch industrial park under construction?
The reference we have is a 2018 study that examined a rail-served industrial park concept, not a construction announcement. We use it to describe how large rail-served land is planned. Before relying on any specific parcel, confirm its status with the county and the landowner.
What does a rail siding need from the site?
Usable track length, an approved turnout, a drained subgrade and clear space around the track for cars and personnel. The railroad reviews the connection and crossings. We coordinate those requirements with the building and the truck layout.
Which building code applies in Fountain?
The city adopted the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code, which carries the 2021 International Building Code. Local amendments and fire department criteria still apply, so we verify them before design is released.
How do you handle a parcel near Fountain Creek?
We obtain floodplain and drainage information first, then set building and equipment elevations accordingly. Drainage and sediment control are designed for the site and inspected throughout construction.
Can the first building be sized small and expanded?
Yes. We leave one end wall clear, size utilities for the full build-out and grade the next pad. Expansion then needs a tie-in, not a rebuild.