Durango’s next step: Build a parking garage!

How many parking studies, traffic studies, etc., does it take to persuade the City of Durango that it should seriously consider a parking garage centrally located downtown (i.e.: the Transit Center area) to serve all of Durango, its citizens, its business owners and its visitors?

This issue has been talked about for over 50 years that I am aware of and probably longer than that.

We all know that a survey or study can be structured to answer any question and provide any solution desired. Why do the current “powers that be” believe that previous surveys and studies were flawed in their attempt to solve the downtown parking issues? What happened to the “in lieu of” parking fees levied against downtown development for years in the past?

It was a general understanding that these fees were intended to be a means or basis for at least partially funding a parking facility. Since Durango, apparently, has access to funding for the study, design and re-do of Main Avenue, estimated at a cost of millions, couldn’t those funds be directed to addressing an age-old problem of parking? This has been identified long ago, and would benefit Durango and the surrounding area.

It is time to stop kicking the can down the road and build a parking garage.

Bob Griffith

Durango