Downtown Parking Management Updates

This is a great idea! The garages are fantastic and it's a shame more people don't use them. I think adding paid parking for the streets that is slightly more expensive than the garages and keeping the garages the same as they currently are would be an ideal solution.

I strongly oppose the proposed change from free to paid parking in Fort Collins. Free parking is more inclusive and ensures that all residents—regardless of income—can access our downtown. Paid parking creates unnecessary barriers for families, seniors, and workers who already face rising costs.

Free parking also directly supports our small businesses. Visitors are more likely to stop, shop, and dine when they don’t have to worry about meters or tickets. Turning to paid parking risks driving customers away to other areas with easier access.

Finally, free parking is part of what makes Fort Collins unique. It helps preserve the welcoming charm of our town and keeps us from becoming just another copy of Boulder, Denver, or other large cities that feel driven by revenue instead of community.

I urge you to maintain free parking and keep Fort Collins accessible, supportive and of small businesses.

This is a TAX not a fee, call it what it is. I will actively boycott and protest any and all downtown business. I will also be protesting in front of any and all shops to try and get people to STOP shopping if this goes thru. I am retired and have a lot of time on my hands. FAFO!

I support the proposal. The on street parking should be paid and the garages should be free or significantly cheaper to encourage their use and reduce traffic on college and mountain. I avoid eating at restaurant patios on college because of the noise from traffic. The square and the exchange are much more enjoyable areas because they are away from cars. Extend the MAX hours and even fewer people will need to drive into old town.

the general fund is funded by sales tax revenues, I do not agree with making it harder to park in downtown. it should be easy to not have a separate tax for doing business downtown - the rents are already high enough to keep local businesses there instead of chains.

I live near olive and whitcomb and I walk to downtown routinely, but I do not support paid parking in downtown.

I'm very much in favor of the city charging for street parking. It doesn't make sense to subsidize private vehicle storage in an area where land usage needs to be carefully managed. I'd love to see the city take it a step further by replacing street parking with wider sidewalks, green spaces, and bike lanes - but it starts somewhere.

I'd like to see a parking plan that encourages parking in the garages and discourages parking on the streets. Let's make the garages as cheap/free as availability would allow and lead with paid on street parking to guide people off the streets and into the garages whenever possible.

I'm supportive on charging for the most convenient parking spots downtown - I would, however, very much like to see any additional funds be reinvested in projects to improve public transit, bike and walking infrastructure, and the betterment of downtown for all citizens regardless of mode of transportation.

For those of us that like to frequent the shops in old town this is a deterrent. If I need a gift and card, I know where to go. If I have to worry about a parking meter too, I’d likely go somewhere else or order online. It’s a shame. The structures are great for longer term. Isn’t their income enough?

Counterpoint: make the garages free as well, and expand public transit options. The real solution to car-dependency is creating car-free options. PUBLIC TRANSIT!!!!!!!!

I work for Larimer County at 200 W. Oak Street. I tend to park by Otter, usually somewhere near the intersection of Oak and Meldrum.

My main issue with the new parking proposal is it extends 2 hour parking limits across this entire area. This means I will need to leave work to move my car several times per day. This particular intersection is not residential nor is there retail, so I don't understand the benefit of making people who park there (County, bank, Otter, etc. employees) do the '2 hour shuffle' to avoid getting tickets.

I urge to you reconsider rezoning this area. If it must happen for reasons beyond my understanding, maybe it could be a 2hr *except for permits* and allow employees of nearby businesses an exemption. Thank you for your consideration.

- The availability of free parking makes going downtown to go to a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, or store a no-brainer. If visiting downtown came with an hourly fee, it would likely sway people away from going downtown who otherwise would.

- It’s worth noting that implementing paid parking would disadvantage lower income people primarily.

- Fort Collins does not have a critical mass of tourism to make short-circuit public transit (street cars, trolleys, etc.) a viable option for transport.

- Paid parking will certainly not abate traffic noise issues, which are primarily caused by motorcycles and vehicles with modified exhaust doing laps through downtown (not looking for parking). Passing and enforcing noise ordinances would be a more effective way to address this.

- Eliminating street traffic from Linden between Walnut and Jefferson might be a good way to expand the city’s walkable spaces with minimal effects to downtown businesses and traffic.

I adamantly oppose this plan. Traffic congestion is not a serious problem in the city. I find that many people will not circle for parking but will check street parking and then go to a garage. Charging for street parking is just one more way for the city to make it less convenient and less affordable to live and recreate in Fort Collins. If street parking is no longer free I can guarantee I won’t recreate as often in old town. Fort Collins has a unique culture, adding parking meters makes us the same as every other town and city. It’s just plain bad business.

I am glad to see the city move to paid parking. As a cyclist and a pedestrian it is aggravating to deal with the number of cars slowly prowling for spaces on Mountain in particular.

The parking fees should be borderline punitive. People are storing their personal property on the most valuable land in the city (precluding more productive uses); that should be priced accordingly.

I understand the concerns here, but free, unlimited street parking downtown is part of what keeps us stuck in car-dependency. Paid parking isn't a "cash grab" - it's a way to manage demand fairly, keep spaces turning over for customers, and fund better options for everyone. For those who park downtown daily, the city already offers affordable monthly permits that cost far less than paying a meter each day. And the MAX bus line is only a block or two away from most destinations - currently free to ride - which gives another convenient option besides driving.

At the same time, visitors can still find spots when they need them, which is vital for local businesses. Fort Collins is growing, and if we want downtown to stay vibrant, we need to design for people first - not just cars. Paid parking is one small but important step in that direction, helping Old Town remain welcoming, walkable, and sustainable long into the future.

I can confidently say that our weekend travels to old town for coffee, breakfast, and a stroll around the town would be eliminated if paid street parking is implemented. With young kids it is unpredictable if they will last 30, 60, or 90 minutes and we are always able to find street parking in the areas we desire. This may free more spots, but will increase our cost to shop and spend money at our local restaurants, coffee shops etc.

I'm a lifelong FC resident and I fully support this proposal. I agree there need to be concessions made for neighborhood residents and workers (especially coworking space users) who have to park in Old Town, but this is a change that will make Old Town more walkable, less noisy and polluted, and maybe even less dangerous for people on foot and on bikes/micromobility. I'm tired of my taxes going to enabling people to store their private property on some of the most valuable surfaces in the region while they ignore the several conveniently located, clean, space-efficient parking structures across downtown. I would love for some of the funds from this change to support additional walkability and traffic calming improvements in Old Town and the surrounding areas, and I hope this is the beginning of a transition into a truly pedestrian-centric walkable downtown district that prioritizes people over cars.

Hello, I support this measure. However, I would love for revenue to go toward options that make driving to old town less necessary such as the bus system. I also believe we may need an additional parking garage built at some point in the future for this to work long term. With the current bus schedule (excluding the max line) I fear most people will continue to be adverse to this change. We need more frequent and expansive public transport in this city to get people more on board with using it. The max line currently operates at the best frequency and I personally use it 9/10 times when I go to old town. However, I would assume that the hours of operation would need to be a bit later to really see this change be more accepted by the masses. Expanding hours to midnight and sundays would probably help a lot and would also encourage less impaired driving.

Yes for paid parking!! There is so much parking available downtown - you might need to park a block or two away from your destination, but I've *never* had trouble finding parking when I do drive. I also often come downtown by bike, even from my home south of Harmony, and the plethora of parking available downtown makes downtown Fort Collins a much less pleasant place to be in. Paid parking is better for businesses (increases turnover rather than having someone come occupy a prime parking spot all day) and better for downtowns when we earmark parking revenue for improvements to downtown sidewalks and spaces.