Finding A Place To Park For Capitol Hill Residents Continues To Be A Problem
DENVER, Colo. (CBS4) - New residents to one of the Denver's most popular neighborhoods, Capitol Hill, say the already-challenging parking situation has gotten even tougher, but the Public Works Department says bringing down the number of residential permits is the only way to tackle the growing problem.
"When I told my coworkers and friends I was thinking about Capitol Hill, parking was the first thing they mentioned," said Donny Boulanger.
Boulanger moved to the neighborhood in November and decided to live in a particular building with the plan to get a residential parking permit. The goal was to have a chance at finding a spot close to home each night and have the option to leave his car there for more than two hours.
"It's a place that people like to be, and that's part of the reason for the parking problems," said Brad Cameron, a member of a city committee looking at the situation in Capitol Hill. "They kind of go hand-in-hand."
A residential permit allows drivers to leave a car on a street with a time limit on parking. They also get a guest permit to give to anyone visiting them. The permits don't give a pass on a spot with a meter and don't guarantee a spot. They only extend the time someone can park if they find a space on their registered block.
"It's a challenge because I'm now in a lease and I had budgeted and setup my life with a car in mind," said Boulanger.
He says parking each night isn't as much of a problem but getting a spot to leave his car for more than a day is very difficult.
"The challenge is really when I travel out of town and it's snowing and I can't move my car," he said.
Limited parking isn't a new issue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood but long-time residents say it wasn't always as bad. That's why city leaders created the committee to look into possible solutions to improve the problem.
"Parking has always been a nightmare, especially when residents come home," said Cameron. "But there's a sense that it has been getting worse over the past few years."
The City and County of Denver says Boulanger didn't get a permit at the time because he lived in a building the Public Works Department decided to phase out of the program. He lives in a large building with hundreds of residents but that apartment complex sits on a street with 40 parking spots.
"We're not phasing out residential parking out of Capitol Hill entirely," said Heather Burke of Denver Public Works. "It's just based on the size of the building and the location."
Burke says residents need to remember the program is not a long-term solution for parking in neighborhoods across Denver. The city is going to phase out large buildings in any part of Denver that has limited street parking nearby because of the high number of permits it would have to grant to residents.
"It's just not an effective tool to manage parking in Denver given the demand," she said.
Public Works says residents will need to look at private parking lots and options within their own buildings moving forward because of the growing number of people that need to be in the city each day.
"The demand for parking has changed so much," said Burke. "So many people are living in Denver, working in Denver, wanting to hang out."
Even those working to improve the situation say you have to know what you're signing up for when you pick a popular neighborhood. Especially when the area is made up of old buildings constructed without parking spaces because the demand wasn't as high at the time.
"That's part of life on Capitol Hill and it has been ever since I've lived here 30 years," said Cameron.
It's an aspect of life you learn quickly in any popular Denver neighborhood and residents like Boulanger say they understand it comes with the territory. But he still hopes he and the parking committee can work with the city to come up with ideas that help everyone living and visiting his neighborhood.
Public Works decided to grant Boulanger a parking permit in late December because the phase out date for his building was delayed to Jan. 1. But the city says it will still plan to phase out large buildings all across the city.
"There, from my perspective, seems to be plenty of solutions for parking," said Boulanger. "I just think it's going to take a little community interaction and finding common ground."
Shawn Chitnis reports on the CBS4 Morning News. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.
