Title
A Resolution authorizing free parking in the downtown municipal garages on Saturday and Sunday, December 21 and 22, 2019; and, free on-street metered parking in Old Colorado City on the Saturday, December 21, 2019
Presenter:
Charae McDaniel, Chief Financial Officer
Scott Lee, Parking Enterprise Director
Body
Summary:
For the past number of years, City Council has approved several days of free on-street metered parking during the holiday shopping season to help bolster sales. For 2019, the Downtown Partnership has requested that City Council grant free parking in the three municipal parking structures downtown - at Bijou/Cascade, Nevada/Colorado, and Kiowa/Nevada. This year, the days requested are the Saturday and Sunday of December 21 and 22 for free parking in municipal garages, and free metered parking in Old Colorado City on Saturday, December 21. All other regulations would also remain in force including the meter time limits, loading zones, meter hoods, etc. Parking Enforcement would cite parkers violating overtime or other restrictions. This request is for on-street parking in Old Colorado City and City-owned garages in downtown only and does not apply to private lots and garages.
Background:
In December 2002, the Denver Post published an article reporting Mayor Wellington Webb had authorized free on-street parking December 23-25, 2002. This action was in response to a decline in retail sales in downtown and LoDo. His intention was to attract more shoppers to these areas thus bolstering sales tax revenues.
A local retailer presented this article to the Downtown Partnership Board and asked for support in requesting the same offer be made in the Colorado Springs area during that upcoming holiday shopping season. The Downtown Partnership unanimously agreed and presented this request to the Parking System for consideration.
Since the initial request, the Downtown Partnership and Old Colorado City Security & Maintenance Distri...
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