Vail to consider $2 per hour summer parking fees at Vail, Lionshead structures
Decision will need to be made no later than the town's April 1 meeting
Vail Daily Archive
If a mobility discussion leads to the edict “walk before you run,” you might just think the recommendation is literal.
But in Vail, the walk-before-you-run expression has been given to the town’s Parking and Mobility Task Force by the Town Council concerning an idea to start charging for parking in the summer. Many are expected to dig their heels in at the suggestion.
The Parking and Mobility Task Force has been meeting periodically over the last year to discuss the idea, and will meet again on Thursday at the Vail Public Library at 9:30 a.m. The public is welcome to attend.
The idea to charge for parking is being spurred on by newly identified repairs that the town’s parking structures are expected to require over the next 10 years. An estimated $12.6 million in repairs, as well as an increase in the structures’ annual maintenance budget, will be needed to keep the aging parking structures in use, the Town Council learned in February.
The council directed the Parking and Mobility Task Force to provide a recommendation on a management program for Summer 2025 while considering the following:
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“Consider a solution for employees, especially originating from down valley; consider the value of both guests and locals spending their money and time in Vail; allow for more data collection; consider options that align with current pass offerings; allow for people to ‘linger’ in the summer; communication to and input from locals/local businesses will be important; keep it simple; ‘Walk before we run.'”
The task force returned to the council with an idea to charge $2 per hour in the Vail Village and Lionshead parking lots between 4 a.m. and 3 p.m. with a maximum of $10 per day.
If the town is planning on implementing the change for this summer, the decision will need to be made no later than the town’s April 1 meeting, said Greg Hall with Vail’s public works department.
“There’s a lot of things that will have to be put in place,” Hall said.
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One of the big issues will be informing the public.
“This would be a big change for our community, and we really need to make sure that we’re communicating options, and we really need to make sure that we’re communicating options, and what those changes are,” said Stephanie Kashiwa, the town’s parking operations manager.
Options would include discounted local passes, which would allow two hours free and lower the cost to $1 per hour after that, with a maximum of $5 per day. The recommended time frame for paid summer parking would be May 30 to Sept. 28.
At the Vail Town Council’s March 18 meeting, the council seemed largely supportive of the proposal.
“It’s a move we need to make,” said council member Pete Seibert.
Council member Barry Davis said he wasn’t so sure the task force had followed the council’s recommended consideration to keep it simple.
“Parking continues to be one of our most difficult situations because we can’t please everyone,” he said. “The way to make it simple is to realize that we’re gonna hurt some feelings, and do the unpopular but right decision, and I don’t think our council is ready to do that yet.”
Council member Dave Chapin said “the time has come” to start charging for parking.
“Part of me says we could even go higher,” he said. “Walk before you run, though.”
