CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — If you've been to Castle Rock recently, chances are you might have seen how much the town has grown over the years.
The growth, however, has also led to issues in downtown, specifically with parking.
▶️ Watch Denver7's Tyler Melito's report on findings of a recent parking study
On Tuesday, the town council heard the findings of a study conducted by Fehr and Peers that examined the issue of parking downtown.
The study, which can be found here, had several key findings — including that the amount of parking available has increased 113% since the last parking study was done in 2017.
Karen Easton has lived in Castle Rock for more than 50 years and has seen the growth firsthand. She said the parking has failed to keep up.
"The parking has always been behind the growth in Castle Rock," Easton said.
She says she's notice changes in traffic that come with the growth.
"Wilcox Street at noon is a nightmare on any day," Easton said. "This street used to be able to zip down with no problem."
However, parking garages remain underutilized compared to on-street parking, according to the study.
Denver7 | Your Voice
Denver7 | Your Voice: Golden city leaders discuss parking challenges & solutions
Resident Rees Mattheessen explained why she avoids the parking garages.
"Speaking for myself, we got a semi-large truck, so parking [in] that garage [is] a little hard to go up that spiral and figure out a spot from there, it gets a little tight," Mattheessen said.
The study also tracked how long it takes visitors to find a spot.
"75% of the respondents found their parking within 10 minutes, which is kind of a long time," a representative for Fehr and Peers said to the town council Tuesday.
Some local businesses are feeling the impact, too. Dillon Walls, owner of the Castle Cafe, said customers struggle to find spots near the restaurant.
"Oftentimes we have customers come in that say, 'I had to park, you know, a half mile away to and wander down the street to get into the place," Walls said.
Walls added that a lack of close parking hurts business and customers.
"We've got a lot of elderly customers that come through," Walls said. "It's paramount for them to be able to get close to us."
Easton pointed out another shortage she sees in the downtown area.
"There is hardly any handicap [spots]. I know all five spots," Easton joked.
Both Easton and Walls believe building more parking garages could help solve the issue.
The city was unable to provide an interview Wednesday, but shared a statement with Denver7 regarding the study's findings.
"Based on feedback and findings from the Downtown Parking Study, near-term next steps include improving wayfinding signage to make parking easier to find," the city said. "We’ll also continue to look for small and larger parking opportunities as they may arise."
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.