Golden, Mines will exchange parking lots during busy seasons

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In the battle to provide ample downtown parking during the summertime, Golden has added a 200-space parking lot to its arsenal.

The city and Colorado School of Mines have agreed to exchange parking lots during their respective busy seasons.

While the exact start and end dates will vary each year, the city will have access to Mines’ Lot K — which is along Clear Creek near Stermole Soccer Stadium — from mid-May to mid-August. Meanwhile, Mines will use the Splash aquatic center’s parking lot off Illinois Street during the school year, likely in conjunction with a shuttle service to transport commuters to campus.

Both parking lots contain approximately 200 spaces, officials confirmed at a recent City Council meeting. The agreement doesn’t involve any physical improvements to either lot, although Mines will be responsible for snow removal at the Splash lot during the school year.

The agreement is in place through summer 2024, but could be extended.

“Surface parking lots that are empty aren’t a great use of land or public space,” Mayor Laura Wein- berg said at the April 11 City Council meeting. “ … (This exchange) is a great idea.”

Rick Muriby, the city’s director of community and economic development, described how both the city and Mines believe this exchange will benefit the entire community by maximizing parking efficiency and reducing congestion.

“This is a great reservoir of extra parking for the city,” Muriby said of Lot K. “It’ll be great in preventing congestion in the (surrounding) neighborhoods, so people aren’t parking illegally or circling around (looking for parking).”

Golden has rented Lot K from Mines before during special events, like last summer’s Buffalo Bill Days. However, this will allow downtown visitors to park there throughout the summer, which Muriby hoped would alleviate illegal parking and traffic congestion in the surrounding neighborhood.

For Mines, the campus has lost some parking with ongoing construction. There’s a need for overflow parking for staff, students and event attendees, Muriby described.

The councilors expressed a few concerns about Lot K, specifically motorists not being able to tell that it’s full until it’s too late. They were concerned about motorists looking for parking, driving down the access road to Lot K, not finding any open spots in the lot and then having to drive back out — creating more congestion.

They discussed putting up “lot full” signage during weekends and/or events, which Muriby clarified would be the city’s responsibility while it’s using the lot during the summer.

Weinberg commented: “There are regularly people driving down 11th (looking for parking). This might make it more productive. Just got a little farther, and there’s more spaces available there.”

Muriby and City Manager Scott

Vargo both said signage and communication will be important as the summer approaches. Vargo added how the city wants to implement a system to indicate how many spaces are left in certain parking lots, which is part of a larger effort related to the city’s downtown parking study.

Parking study, shuttle service

Regarding the downtown parking study, Muriby explained April 19 how staff is presenting recommendations to City Council at a May 9 work session, and is looking for direction on which ones to pursue and how.

One recommendation is the downtown circulator shuttle, which the city plans to launch this summer and expand once the school year starts. Muriby said the city and Mines are partners in the effort, but Mines has experienced supply-chain-related delays in acquiring its vehicles.

So, Golden’s partnering with a vendor company, which will provide its own vehicles and drivers, and drafting a route for the summer. The circulator shuttle will be separate from any shuttles for tubers, Muriby commented, as tubes won’t be allowed on the circulator shuttle.

Overall, Muriby explained, the goal behind all these efforts — using Lot K, starting a circulator shuttle, improving signage and more — is to solidify downtown Golden as a “park once” environment.

City officials hope those frequenting downtown Golden will park somewhere suitable and then walk, bike, or ride the shuttle to get to their destinations.

“We want to improve the ‘park once’ philosophy,” he continued.

“That’s the goal — to really allow that environment to flourish and for people to feel like that’s a viable option for them to come to Golden.”