Castle Rock to address parking concerns with permit plan

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Castle Rock is poised to tackle ongoing parking concerns by creating of a new residential permiting system. e town also changed parking requirements for many homes as part of the e ort.

Under a new ordinance approved by the town council, multifamily homes would have to have at least two parking spaces per unit. Senior multifamily residences will need 1.1 spaces per unit and downtown multifamily developments will need 1.25 spaces per unit.

e changes will apply to future multifamily residential developments.

Council unanimously approved the changes.

e council also is moving toward approving what it calls the Neighborhood Parking Permit Program. It will allow residents or homeowners associations to apply for a permit system in their neighborhoods, a move meant especially to ease on-street parking problems for locals near high-density areas.

To be approved, 75% of residential units within the boundaries must support the request for a proposed permit- ting system. Only residentially zoned areas are eligible for the program and, to qualify, parking availability must be 25% or less of the total spaces. e council gave initial approval to the plan in on a 5-2 vote this month, with Councilmembers Laura Cavey and Tim Dietz opposing. e council will vote on the second reading of the proposed ordinance to establish the program during their August meeting.

Once town sta determines the neighborhood meets all of the requirements for the permit program, town council will approve or deny the request.

Matt Gohl, special projects manager for Castle Rock, said the program is intended to be a last resort.

“ is is a neighborhood driven process really concerning neighborhood parking adjacent to high-density areas,” Gohl said.

Council member Max Brooks supports the permit program, which he said could be a “release valve” in dense areas.

“It’s important to be able to have these mechanisms in place so that there’s something the residents can do,” Brooks said.