Durango residents should not expect to see free downtown parking during the COVID-19 outbreak – but staff members are open to having the conversation, said Kevin Hall, assistant city manager.
The COVID-19 outbreak has taken a toll on downtown Durango, especially businesses. While people making a necessary trip into town can choose from an abundance of parking spots, they still have to pay the downtown parking fee. If they don’t, they’ll still get ticketed.
Tim Walsworth, executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District, has asked the city to consider temporarily waiving fees or ticketing during the COVID-19 response to support businesses. Hall said he also received similar suggestions from others.
“If BID is advocating for something, we’ll have that conversation with them,” Hall said, adding that the city manager’s office has not received a formal request yet.
Currently, the city does not plan to suspend fees or ticketing.
The city has already relaxed parking fees in some areas, such as providing free parking in front of some restaurants that are still offering food services.
The parking fee program also funds a portion of the Durango Transit system, which is considered an essential service under the Colorado stay-at-home order issued last week.
People rely on it for necessary activities, like picking up medicine or groceries, going to work or caring for family members. A 2019 Durango Transit survey showed that 78% of riders are entirely dependent on public transit to get around.
“If we were to suspend the parking program, it would have ripple effects on other things, including the multimodal program as well,” Hall said.
Ticketing will continue, although city staff has reduced so they will have fewer people on the street in coming weeks.
City staff members are still working through the state’s recent stay-at-home order and its impacts on city services. Many things are still “up in the air,” Hall said.
“We’re all kind of scrambling to understand what it means,” he said. “If it impacts any of our programs, beyond what we understand today, we’ll make those adjustments. That includes parking.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
