City of Salida shifts scope of parking management plan
Responding to a definite lack of consensus among stakeholders, the City of Salida announced today, Mar. 19 that is is shifting gears on the parking management contract that it signed with Interstate Parking just six weeks ago. This comes after considerable public comment in City Council sessions and subsequent meetings with the Parking Working Group. The group includes business owners, City Council members and staff.
Annual parking stall striping on North F Street, Merrell Bergin photo
According to the city press release, “Starting this summer season, Interstate Parking (IP) will be collecting data on Downtown parking patterns and helping with compliance of Salida’s already existing parking laws. They will not be implementing a new paid parking plan in our downtown area but rather, their data analytics will inform a long-term strategic plan.
Those who have followed the downtown parking saga through its latest iteration know that the original terms proposed a revenue share between the City and Interstate Parking from paid parking (in locations not yet determined), together with IP possibly taking on parking violation enforcement, a task that Salida Police and Community Service Division teams do not have the bandwidth to cover.
Among those opposing the initial contract, some felt it was at the time, only “half-baked” and others that it was broadly written as to scope, with too many details to be worked out at a future date. When asked for options, IP responded to what a contract would look like if it focused only on enforcement of existing parking time limits and related program administration. A significant cost to the city was associated with that option, which appears to be the current strategy in the Town of Crested Butte.
Scope and financial implications of amended contract not yet determined
It’s premature to speculate at this time as to what the new contract might look like and its financial implications. “The terms of the contract are still being negotiated,” said Salida City Administrator Christy Doon. “The contract will come back before council next month.”
Downtown on-street and surface lot parking in Salida are used by many different people over the course of the day. Reflecting on the change of direction, Doon, stated, “this is an opportunity to continue working with all members of the community, business owners and residents, to address challenges that have been identified with our current parking structure.”
Regardless of the revised contract, parking in the downtown core area has been a growing concern for many years and as reported by Ark Valley Voice, solutions will not please everyone. Yet it is clear, that some degree of control needs to be put in place to address the issue of availability and ease of access for the mobility challenged.
What a Strategic Parking Management Plan entails
According to information provided by the city, “the Strategic Parking Management Plan will create objectives, technology solutions and timelines for a parking solution based on real-time data analytics and community feedback gathered this summer.
“The aim of the Plan, using green, solar powered, Colorado-supported, paperless technologies, is to work together with the community to use the limited existing parking supply in Salida to produce the maximum community benefit.
“This will help to maximize the usage of each parking space downtown and provide the best experience for our residents, employees, business owners and tourists, as recommended in the [Walker Consultants] 2019 parking study.”
Readers are encouraged to follow the agendas and work packets City Council and work sessions scheduled for the first and third Mondays and Tuesdays of each month as the contract scope continues to be refined.
Featured image: Western portion of public parking across the F Street bridge in Salida. The free lot is leased from the Union Pacific Railroad. Note “For Sale” sign in background. Merrell Bergin photo
hallelujah