Downtown Parking Management Updates

I truly believe that metered parking will hurt our businesses. If we’re looking to make additional funds for the city, make the garage $2/hour

If the city truly wants to invert the current "upside-down" parking model the garages need to be made more attractive. As it stands, the proposed plan only makes street parking less attractive. The city should either make parking in the garages free or bring back validation for garage parking. This would balance the proposal to charge for street parking by maintaining access for the many members of the Fort Collins community who already feel some financial strain when we want to spend our time in Old Town and patronize the businesses there. As it currently stands, I do not support this proposal. There needs to be some free parking in Old Town.

Please maintain the current system of free two hour parking in Old Town. Paid parking meters for on street parking has the potential to harm local businesses by reducing the willingness of patrons to stop in and browse on a whim. If you have to pay just to park, this creates another financial barrier to businesses gaining foot traffic and patronage. For me personally, I can say that paid parking means I will use Old Town businesses less often and would be more likely to choose to shop and dine elsewhere in town where parking is free.

I do not support the transition to paid parking in Old Town. There are several businesses I can visit within the 2 hour free window that I am less likely to visit if I have to pay just to access the store. In some cases, it is for products I could just as easily purchase on Amazon if I weren't interested in supporting local businesses and enjoying the ambiance of Old Town occasionally.

The 2 hour free parking matters to me and my family because it makes it easier for me to run quick errands and support old town small businesses without having to deal with the burden of paid parking. Not only does this deter me from shopping in old town because it’s another thing for me to pay for, but it also is time consuming. I’m so sick of having to download yet another app and make yet another online account for something as trivial as parking. Keep the 2 hour free parking spots! Also think of our elderly neighbors as well. This will also add difficulty for them.

I’m opposed to the paid parking concept. As a local resident I believe this change will adversely affect downtown businesses customer traffic , negatively impacting the vibrancy of downtown Fort Collins businesses. With increased operating costs, downtown is already a difficult business market for many small businesses. Eliminating free two hour parking will create another obstacle to shopping downtown. Eliminating free parking won’t necessarily send me to a parking garage but it may send me somewhere other than downtown.

Paid parking would discourage a vibrant downtown by A LOT. As someone who lives in Fort Collins, but too far from old town to walk or bike, the free two hour parking is essential to my participation in downtown events, shopping, and community. I love supporting local businesses downtown, but I would be highly discouraged to visit old town AT ALL if I have to pay every single time just to be there. The current system works well for me. If I need to use a garage, I do. If I can find a free spot, even better. What would actually help with congestion? Better public transit (the bus stop closest to my house has been shut down for over 5 years)! Free garage parking and 2-hr street parking!

City Leaders - Please support one of Old Towns most important charms, the comfort of Free Parking! Thank You, Bob

Check out Colorado Springs or downtown Salt Lake City. Both cities have parking fees and have created deserted streets and closed businesses. After paying for parking and looking for great stores and good restaurants and finding very few, one is left with a feeling of disappointment. A desire to escape and a vow to never come back.
The notion that parking fees will eliminate cruising to look for the closest space and thereby reducing pollution is false. People will always look for the closest space. If rates are high to eliminate cruising, the negative effects will stymie vibrant business.
Fort Collins is a special City now and is run very efficiently and effectively. Please don’t take away the magic of the friendly and welcoming feeling I get every time I go downtown and enjoy the ambiance and excellent business community.

Paid parking benefits the wealthy and not the community. Businesses and customers will suffer.

Don’t ruin the downtown and the businesses. Fort Collins is a great town. We aren’t a big city. We aren’t Denver or San Francisco. I love the shops and restaurants. I love the convenience of stopping into the Cupboard to buy coffee. I ride my bike mostly, I use the garage at times, but the shops will suffer great damage if you do this. I already have to search for parking at my work place and parking is limited and fined in zones. You get enough ticket revenue from those fines. Please listen. Nobody wants this.

I’m a DoorDash driver, and Old Town pickups are already difficult due to congestion and the lack of available short-term parking. There are not enough 10–15 minute spots to support deliveries. If paid street parking is implemented, I will stop serving the Old Town area. Delivery drivers are in and out supporting local restaurants—not long-term parkers. This policy will reduce deliveries and hurt small businesses as customers choose more convenient options elsewhere.

"Peer cities across the U.S. have moved to paid parking models..." Fort Collins does not have a 'Peer City' because Fort Collins is a gem of a city that is #1 in a group of 1. Part of its charm is the ease of use of downtown parking. The City of Fort Collins is not missing out on revenue; people are absolutely using the garages. I even use the garages when I do not see an open street parking space. BUT, to squeeze people at the curb and make them use an app--that quite frankly rarely even works--is foolish. You put downtown LOCAL businesses at a disadvantage when they suffer the brunt of customers choosing free parking at big box stores over paid parking downtown. The City of Fort Collins is going to actually miss out on revenue when people stop coming downtown and providing the City an income in the form of sales tax. Fort Collins residents will suffer irreparable harm when we lose our local flavor due to closures of longtime downtown local businesses.

I am against changing the free parking in old town to paid parking. It seems to be a money grab for the city at the expense of residents and business owners.

One of the things that makes Fort Collins great is that it is generously hospitable. Preserving free parking in Old Town is an excellent way to continue that hospitality and kindness. We frequently spend time in Old Town and use the garage for extended visits, but we often park on the street for quicker stops such as a cup of coffee, a visit to the Cupboard, Clothes Pony, or even Mountain Mary's. My young adult/high school aged children enjoy meeting friends in Old Town. There are so few places where they can enjoy community without spending money or spending just a little for ice cream, a piece of candy, or a cup of coffee. In this time where personal interaction has moved digital, it is so important that we as a community preserve and fight for ways to continue fostering rich, in person community. Preserving free parking is a way to do that. It will absolutely prevent me and my children from patronizing the businesses in Old Town if we have to feed a meter for each visit.

I am less likely to go downtown if I have to interact with a parking meter.

The parking model is "upside down" because of the change to the parking pay-system. When it was ticket/gate-based, I always parked in the garage because it was the best option. Even though the pricing is similar, the burden of opening yet another app and estimating how much time I will spend downtown encourages me to park on the street. If I do park in the garage and I receive the hourly reminder that my parking is up, I often do leave rather than spending the extra $1 and more time at local businesses. Based on this behavior, I will be less likely to stop to pick up one thing at the Cupboard or the Spice Shop or stop for dinner on the way home from somewhere if there is metered street parking.

This is the epitome of city council greed that this is even still being considered when literally no one in the community supports it. Shame on you all for caring more about making money and trying to spin it as “something that would be used to improve old town.” I promise you I would never pay for parking downtown and would find parking spots outside of the zoned area or Uber, and we live close to old town and park all the time (and no, don’t have the CRAZIEST TIME finding a spot, ever.) this is the truly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, have some decency and listen to your community

I encourage the paid parking initiative. We need to listen to more facts and less whimsey. Transitioning to more renewable, sustainable practices requires an effort to disincentivize driving in our city. It is not enough to build bike lanes and add bus service if driving is still PERCIEVED as the most convenient option. And it is a difficult, uphill battle to get public buy-in for spending tax money on the bus when people choose not to ride it because it doesn't provide the service they need. To escape this catch-22, adding paid parking in downtown is an important step!

Supposed "free" parking actually costs the tax payers tons of money and even those who do not drive bear that burden. Peer cities that have implemented paid parking have actually seen a benefit to their local businesses because of it. It means more foot traffic and more bicycle traffic. When people are moving at a slower pace, they are more likely to see something in a shop window and walk inside.

I am a downtown business owner. Please re-consider implementing paid parking in downtown Fort Collins. This will be an incredible burden for the downtown businesses that rely on customers coming to old town to shop. Adding paid on street parking will only drive customers to other places where they can park for free and not have the hassle of having to figure out the parking app or meters. This is unfairly adding a tax for our businesses that other places in the city will not have. This is a horrible idea. Please reconsider and work with the downtown business for alternative ways to a much better outcome. Listen to the people who will be most affected by this potential action.

Downtown businesses like mine are already navigating significant challenges, including the recent and substantial increase in commercial property taxes. This rise in overhead has made it more difficult than ever for small, locally owned businesses to stay competitive and remain part of the vibrant fabric of Old Town.Adding parking meters will create another barrier for our customers. Many of us rely heavily on casual foot traffic and the willingness of residents and visitors to stop in, explore, and shop from store to store. Introducing paid parking risks discouraging people from choosing downtown as a destination at all. With so many options outside of the Downtown area offering free, convenient parking, this change could push small businesses like mine into an even more precarious position.Downtown Fort Collins thrives when people feel welcomed, not taxed for simply showing up. I ask that you reconsider this proposal and prioritize policies that help sustain our small businesses.