Author: By Rich Laden Special from The Gazette

Dreaming of buying a $1 million mansion in the Pikes Peak region? Maybe a custom home with exotic hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, a gourmet kitchen, theater room, wine cellar, more bathrooms than bedrooms and majestic views? Whether you have the cash on hand or would need to get lucky in the lottery, get in…

REI, the suburban-Seattle outdoor equipment, sporting goods and apparel retailer, is expanding its lone Colorado Springs store and almost doubling its north-side presence. The retailer, which occupies a roughly 24,000-square-foot building northwest of Academy Boulevard and Woodmen Road at 1376 E. Woodmen, paid nearly $3.8 million several months ago for a second, nearly 18,000-square-foot building…