VAIL — As the Vail Town Council mulls ideas with hefty price tags to retrofit the Lionshead parking structure with more parking spaces and other upgrades, some town leaders think talks are premature without participation from Vail Resorts.

The Town Council heard several options for Lionshead parking structure and Frontage Road upgrades Tuesday, options that would cost the town millions and offer little to no return on the investment, said Councilwoman Margaret Rogers.

“Assuming a 20-year life (left on the 30-year-old garage), none of these things make any financial sense,” Rogers said.

While Vail Resorts' proposed Ever Vail development would add 400 designated public parking spaces to the town mix, Mayor Dick Cleveland thinks the ski resort company needs to be involved in any parking discussions — he said taxpayers shouldn't be responsible for footing the bill.

“This is a Vail Resorts issue,” Cleveland said.

The purpose of building more parking, be it at Ford Park, in new parking structures or upgrades at existing structures, is to prevent skiers from having to park along the sides of the frontage roads, said Councilman Andy Daly.

There are three main reasons for getting skiers off the Frontage roads — to reduce the risk to the town, to create better experiences for guests and to eliminate the perception that the town and ski hill are overcrowded, Daly said.

“We have to look at this as a project that would be done in partnership with Vail Resorts, otherwise it absolutely doesn't make (financial) sense,” Daly said.

The town is waiting for a report in mid-June that should sum up how much retail and commercial business the town as a whole can support. The Town Council asked for the report in order to move forward with talks about the Ever Vail application, but council members think the report should also reveal how much more public parking the town needs and can support.

Greg Hall, the town's public works director, said he'd be back on June 1 to go over the Lionshead and Frontage Road parking improvements, including more cost estimates and potential revenue streams from the upgrades. The Town Council is also expected to provide town staff with a more focused plan for long-term parking fixes in the town.

Community Editor Lauren Glendenning can be reached at lglendenning@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2983.