FORT COLLINS, Colo. — On a busy afternoon in Old Town Fort Collins, it's not uncommon to see drivers circling the block a few times to find the perfect parking spot. Meanwhile, nearby garages are wide open.
"We're only witnessing about 40 to 60% parking structure use versus an 80 to 85%-plus on-street," explained Erick Keselburg, senior manager of Parking Services at the City of Fort Collins. "A block face of 80 to 85% occupied gives the perception there's no available parking. It really causes our users to be frustrated with being able to find a place to park."
Right now, there's a fee to park in the garages while street parking has been free for years. There's only one parking meter downtown — and it's a relic that's been out of use for decades.
"There's a comfort level with being able to just drive up, park in front of a store and then just wander in and enjoy yourself," said Julia MacMillan, the new owner of The Perennial Gardner.
The shop has been a long time staple on College Avenue, celebrating 30 years there. MacMillan was an employee for 24 of those years before taking over ownership two years ago.
"I certainly am less of a proponent of the concept of paid parking, primarily because it does become one more barrier to our customers," said MacMillan.
Paid on-street parking is exactly what Fort Collins Parking Services is now considering.
"We really want to focus on the core of downtown. So, between 945 to about 1,300 spaces," said Keselburg. The department manages a total of 3,200 parking spaces across the entire city."
The proposed parking rates have not been decided yet. Consultants have suggested $1.50-$2 for on-street parking.
Keselburg said the goal is to spread out options for shoppers and cut down on people driving aimlessly, looking for a spot.
"It increases traffic congestion, of course, carbon emissions, and really we want to minimize the contact between bicyclists, pedestrians, vehicles," he said.
Keselburg acknowledges part of the motivation for the change is to help the Parking Services' budget.
"Parking Services is a quasi enterprise fund. So, we mostly fund our own operation," he said. "Part of this discussion is to make our operation self-sustaining. We also have three parking structures which are aging, and we do have to start some major maintenance and those cost money."
About $2.8-$5.3 million is the estimated revenue from the proposed on-street parking rates, an adjustment of other citation rates and permit fees being considered.
MacMillan said business owners are balancing their own budgets too, between rising property taxes and tariffs. She hopes council can pump the brakes on this decision by a few years.
"I understand that there's a lot of pressure on them as well to try and find dollars where they can," MacMillan said. "I think I really would like them to think about what it means to have that laid on our shoulders as business owners, though. In the end, we are the ones who will be directly affected as our customer base perhaps shrinks or decides that there are places they can go that they don't have to pay an extra fee."
Over the next several months, Parking Services will gather public input.
The next opportunity for the community to share their opinion and learn more about the proposal is an open house on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 3-7 p.m. at Elevations Credit Union, located at 221 E. Mountain Ave.
Staff will also be checking in door to door to businesses in Old Town. The collected community feedback will be brought to City Council with recommendations on Dec. 9.
For updates and new information on how to share your input, click here.
