By Mike McKibbin / NewsBreak Denver / July 21, 2023
[CASTLE ROCK, COLO.] — More downtown public parking and neighborhood parking permits for Castle Rock residents will likely begin after town council action Tuesday night.
The council initially approved a lease with the Douglas County School District for 55 parking spaces on the east side of the district administration building, 620 Wilcox St., for downtown business employees and customers. The district was using only some 122 spaces and agreed to lease them to the town, said Town Manager Dave Corliss.
“Downtown parking is always one of the most significant concerns in our community surveys,” he added.
The one-year lease is renewable annually for 10 years. Corliss stated the town would pay the district $50 per space per month for an annual $33,000 and share the cost to maintain the parking lot. That would include filling potholes, resurfacing, striping and snow removal.
The lease also includes the Castle Rock Downtown Development Authority, which will share the costs through its property and sales tax fund assessed on downtown businesses and property owners.
City Hotel project could benefit, too
Corliss noted up to 25 of the town’s leased spaces could be assigned to the proposed City Hotel redevelopment project in the coming years. He added the spaces would likely be used for valet-style parking for hotel customers.
“Parking is expensive,” Corliss stated. “To build a parking lot, you must acquire the land and construct the parking. Here we have an existing, under-utilized lot.”
Mayor Jason Gray agreed the lease made sense.
“Any time we can get more parking, it’s for the better,” he said. “We don’t know for sure that the City Hotel project will go forward, and even if it does, it will probably take them a few years” to complete, so all 55 spaces would be available for at least that long.
Neighborhood parking permits OKed
After earlier presentations in February and June, the council also initially approved an on-street neighborhood parking permit program. Matt Gohl, special projects manager, said the program is intended as a “last resort” to deal with parking issues in areas adjacent to high-density uses such as parks, schools and apartment buildings.
At least 75% of residents in a proposed permit area must sign a petition supporting permits, and available parking must be under 25% in the proposed sites.
Parking next to public property like parks and recreation facilities would not be eligible for permit parking, Gohl noted. However, residences across the street from those facilities would be eligible. Also not eligible are commercial, industrial, mixed-use and other non-residential areas.
The council would approve all program applications that meet minimum criteria and consider appeals of application denials.
Each residence in approved areas would get two permits and two visitor permits. Homeowners can request one-day event permits for parties and other gatherings, Gohl added.
The exact costs of the program are unknown and will vary depending on the number and size of a proposed permit area, Gohl stated.
The council voted 5-2 to initially approve the program, with council members Laura Cavey and Tim Dietz opposed. The program will begin if the council gives final approval at a future meeting.
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