COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A plan to build more housing in this fast-growing city has been put on hold because of another pressing concern: wildfire evacuation routes.

A citizens’ group in this community of about half a million has successfully lobbied the city council to halt development of the 2424 Garden of the Gods apartment project on grounds that it would overload already congested roads in case of wildfire. In 2012, the Waldo Canyon Fire tore into the same neighborhood, destroying 346 homes and killing two as people trying...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A plan to build more housing in this fast-growing city has been put on hold because of another pressing concern: wildfire evacuation routes.

A citizens’ group in this community of about half a million has successfully lobbied the city council to halt development of the 2424 Garden of the Gods apartment project on grounds that it would overload already congested roads in case of wildfire. In 2012, the Waldo Canyon Fire tore into the same neighborhood, destroying 346 homes and killing two as people trying to evacuate spent as long as two hours stuck in traffic.

“I just want to make sure I can get out,” said Dana Duggan, a resident who helped start the Westside Watch group earlier this year to push for a greater focus on evacuation scenarios, including computer modeling.

Developers trying to build more housing in fast-growing cities in the West are running into similar opposition. Worries about wildfire evacuation intensified after the Camp Fire destroyed Paradise, Calif., in 2018, killing 85 people—including some found in charred vehicles. An assessment afterward found three roads out of town were blocked, while traffic was backed up for miles on the fourth.

Bill Wysong was among those caught in a traffic bottleneck in 2012 as residents fled a fire in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“Evacuation is the critical issue,” said Dr. Louise Comfort, a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied the issue. “If people try to get to a freeway, everybody else is trying that same road. This is something that honestly needs to be planned ahead of time.”

Colorado is building more homes in flammable wild land areas at the same time a drought fueled by climate change has greatly elevated the fire danger. The three largest wildfires in Colorado history took place in 2020. “We have to do a better job learning how to grow in a safe way, including fire [escape] corridors,” Gov. Jared Polis said.

Other communities in the West are similarly dealing with how to balance calls for more housing with wildfire concerns.

A California appeals court in August blocked a planned expansion of a resort near Lake Tahoe after agreeing with some environmentalists’ concerns, including that plans underestimated wildfire evacuation needs. An analysis was remanded to a lower court for further review. “We are disappointed in the decision but we will respect the process,” said Dee Byrne, president and chief operating officer of the Palisades Tahoe resort.

A road leading out of Colorado Springs, Colo. The city has been under pressure regarding wildfire evacuation concerns.

In Sedona, Ariz., a nearby wildfire in June prompted residents to petition officials in the resort town to, among other things, require analysis on the evacuation impact of new developments. City officials and other local officials have been meeting with the residents to discuss possible plans.

With a 36% increase in its population since 2000, Colorado Springs has sought to build enough housing to accommodate the new arrivals. Housing of all types is in short supply because of issues including long waits for permits and high costs, said Rachel Beck, a vice president for the Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corp.

Some of the new developments are near flammable wild lands. The city has responded with protection measures including passage of one of Colorado’s first mandatory evacuation ordinances. An evacuation study also was done in 2010 by a regional association.

“The plans we have drafted and implemented come from intensive studies and evaluation back as far as the early 2000s,” said Fire Marshal Brett Lacey.

The Garden of the Gods complex drew some citizens’ ire because it would be built near an intersection that officials say turned into a traffic bottleneck during the Waldo Canyon Fire. It prompted an exodus of about 30,000 people, scorched 18,000 acres and left an estimated $454 million in damages in 2012.

“It was just mass chaos,” said Bill Wysong, who spent a half-hour trying to drive 3 miles at one point. “You had people trying to drive in and trying to go out.”

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Mr. Wysong, president of the Mountain Shadows Community Association, and other residents asked the city council to make sure there were adequate evacuation plans before approving a zoning change for the apartment project. The developer, 2424 GOTG LLC, submitted a traffic study that showed the existing road system was adequate, and that the apartments would generate less new congestion than if developed under the existing industrial zoning.

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Representatives of the developer didn’t return calls for comment.

The council approved the project on a first reading in May but on the second and final reading Aug. 24 reversed its decision after Mr. Wysong and others raised evacuation concerns. The developer filed an appeal that is pending in state district court.

“I am not antidevelopment; I’m pro-development,” said Scott Hente, a member of the planning commission and a retired home builder, who also voted against the project when it cleared his panel previously. “But I thought you had to weigh the benefits versus the risks. I thought it was not in the best interest of the community.”

The Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012 burned the hills beyond the Mountain Shadows community in northwest Colorado Springs, Colo.

Write to Jim Carlton at jim.carlton@wsj.com