Downtown Parking Management Updates

While the paid parking proposal has been the model in other similar cities and surely the consultants are saying it’s the right move I could not disagree more. If it’s busy and there’s no parking that will not change in any substantial way by paid parking. There are enough people with enough money to spend that they will still all be full. It will only negatively impact the culture and character of old town. If anything you could expand some to handicapped parking, because any able bodied person can easily find parking on a side street or garage leaving them usually max 3 blocks away from their destination (in my personal experience) if someone is looping indefinitely it is because they are hunting for the perfect spot that leaves them steps away from their location. I’ve been to boulder and Denver and paid areas are always just as packed and not any spots available at busy times. Keep some charm in our town. Keep some differences. Don’t kill character in the name of efficiency.

I have lived in Fort Collins for a long time. I love going downtown to shop, sightsee, and eat dinner. I love the character of our downtown. But it isn't really convenient because I live in the SE suburbs. If I had to pay for parking, I would not bother going downtown, I would probably go to Timnath, Windsor, or Centerra. All are convenient and have plenty of parking.

When I go downtown now, I don't use the parking garages. They cost money and feel less safe. I rarely have any trouble finding street parking. Public transportation isn't an option because the closest bus stop is almost a mile away.

We have a tradition of going downtown on the weekends for coffee at Lima, followed by a stroll down college (complete with some shopping) before heading down to the square for the kids to play on the bear and fish. Adding the barrier of having to pay for parking means this tradition we’ve shared with our kids for 4 years now will be going away. I’m so disappointed this has gone this far as we all filled out the initial survey with the same results (we do not want this), and yet I feel like our voices have been ignored.
WE DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR STREET PARKING.
I hope I’ve said it loudly and plainly enough for you to understand.

NO MORE PAID PARKING! If all street parking goes paid in Old Town, I will pretty much stop going to Old Town. City of Loveland wants my downtown business more. That's bad for City of Fort Collins businesses. It's such a hassle to have to watch the clock and not just spend as much time there as I like (which is good for Old Town businesses).

No more paid parking. I'd spend more time in Old Town if I didn't have to worry about if I'm over time or overpaying. And I drive a PHEV that's mostly electric, so my car is clean, quiet, and modest in size. And that's the direction cars are going. I do not comprehend the anti-car arguments: I have no problem with people who like to bike. I'm not biking five miles to Old Town. And MAX shuts down way too early to make that viable for nightlife.

There used to be a sense of tradition in Fort Collins. A
respect of its history and what has made it special over time, with downtown being the heart of it all. One of the many characteristics that’s made downtown special has been its easy accessibility for all. Believe it or not, you didn’t have to spend an arm and a leg to go enjoy. If we don’t stop initiatives like this, requiring payment for every single parking space downtown, we will truly lose this aspect of Fort Collins’s tradition.

People already say downtown businesses struggle. Paid parking everywhere will only harm business. I personally will not go anywhere I have to pay to park.

Paid parking in downtown is a terrible idea. It will definitely cause me to avoid shopping there. It will damage small businesses and make downtown unattractive to everyone

I have owned Curiosities gift shop in Old Town for nearly 30 years. Why damage the welcoming vibes of our Old Town area with a barrier like paid parking? I've had many customers report that they would not come to Old Town if they have to pay to park. It creates both a psychological and financial barrier to customers. The cost of doing business in Old Town has increased at a rapid pace. Property taxes, utilities, cost of labor and cost of goods are all on the rise. We have had to contend with changing and uncertain tariff situations, and our cost of gifts we sell at the shop has significantly increased. I understand that most Old Town shop and restaurant owners are experiencing similar stressors--we are feeling stretched. Adding a paid parking meter system in Old Town will cause a large drop in customer foot traffic and sales--at a time when we need to get all of the customers we can into our small businesses. Please don't hurt local businesses with paid parking.

Making on street parking cost money will mean I will come downtown less. There will be less foot traffic from local regular customers and will definitely hurt more routinely visited businesses like the food co-op and cafes. I don't want to go spend money at a business if I have to pay money just to be downtown.

As a Fort Collins resident, I am opposed to additional paid parking in Fort Collins, including paying for street parking in Old Town. I often choose to spend more money at local shops in Old Town because of the current ease to pop into town for a few minutes. Adding the burden and cost of parking will make it less desirable to go into town and make it easier to purchase things on Amazon or box stores. That is not the actions we should be trying to promote - especially in this economy. Fort Collins doesn’t need more paid parking. We don’t need to decrease the ease and enjoyment of visiting our thriving community. Do not do this!

Please do not make the on street parking paid! That’s lame!!!!!!!!

I don't want to pay for parking if I work down here. If parking is paid for people are just going to pull a get in get out, they won't stay around after eating and do some shopping. Or people come early and do some shopping before getting a meal or while waiting to get notified that a table is ready for them. The restaurants would probably be okay if push comes to shove but what about stores that rely on foot traffic and folks who are just wandering around and go oh look this shop looks like it could be fun. Frankly I think it's stupid, Old Town Temecula has no paid parking anywhere and they do just fine and they aren't to different from Fort Collins besides the fact it's only restaurants really at this point with a few shops. If you make it paid parking I hope you plan to make it free for the down town employees at least or else I see down here taking a hit. Also the parking garages you have to pay for, make it more obvious the first hour is free, most people don't know that.

I strongly support implementing paid parking downtown. While I understand concerns from some business owners, the evidence from hundreds of similar implementations is compelling. Cities like Old Pasadena saw increased sales tax revenue and business support after initial skepticism - merchants who opposed meters became advocates once they saw the results.
I encourage Fort Collins to adopt a Parking Benefit District model where revenue visibly funds downtown improvements. This approach has proven most successful at building public trust and demonstrating tangible benefits to the community.

How about first fix your parking issue in the parking garage. How did I get a citation for paying to park one minute after I paid to park? And when I go and contest the citation, I’m told, “Oh it’s a system error.” Oh ok? So you’re getting on people not catching your “known” mistake and making money off people? Like, what a joke. Never again.

The expansion of paid parking is an excellent idea! I hope that proposed changes move more cars (other than those needed due to disabilities) to garages and make it safer to bike and walk throughout downtown. I'd be more likely to spend more time downtown if it was safer for alternative transportation options. Also, let's collect a bit of money for our oversize roads that are eating a disproportionate amount of our city budget!

I’m excited to see paid parking finally come (back) to Old Town! This is long overdue and will benefit all in the community. Some in the business community are unfortunately misinformed on the subject at hand and have bought into tired car-centric rhetoric used without reference to primary research or case studies. Paid parking will benefit all involved stakeholders and help advance emission, fifteen-minute city, and climate related goals. Increased turnover, less traffic, and lower noise pollution will all help to bring in more revenue for businesses and the city. Not to mention quality of life will be positively impacted.

It’s essential that this policy shift isn’t instituted in a manner that is “soft” or “fragmented”. High quality parking reform requires a handful of policies that must be instituted in unison for effective shift in behavior and a full accounting of relevant externalities. It’s imperative that we get this right.

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I am writing to you in support of implementing paid parking in Old Town and adjacent areas. As covered in countless studies and books such as The High Cost of Free Parking or Paved Paradise, free parking is not actually free. There are huge costs to the city to provide "free" parking financial, environmental, and otherwise. The opposition to paid parking as outlined in the recent city council presentation ignores reality and is simply a knee jerk reaction. Maintaining downtown parking structures costs the city millions of dollars per year, subsidized by everyone, whether or not they drive to Old Town or not. We are fortunate in Fort Collins to have many alternative methods of transportation and having a generally walkable city in this area.

If Fort Collins is going to charge for parking downtown, I’ll choose to shop and dine elsewhere.

No, this is a horrible idea especially in this economy. What it will do is it will drive business away from downtown. People will go to shopping centers where it's free to park. And you will lose businesses that move to those locations as well. Instead why don't you add an incentive to park in the garage. Don't make this a pain point for your residents who are looking for really from the stress of everyday life or needing to make a quick stop to get something unique as a gift for a friend or family member. Make the parking garages a more attractive option. Not by creating pain with the on-street parking but by adding benefit to the garage parking in ways that are creative and fun use the money you would have spent installing meters to instead offer bonuses available in the stores of downtown if you park in the garage.

2 hour free parking! Don't charge!