UPDATE: Due to feedback from local businesses and organizations, the Parking Enterprise has adjusted evening meters to allow for up to four hours of parking between 6-10 p.m. Guests can feed the meter for the maximum of four hours, or until the meter enforcement time ends at 10 p.m.
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Effective January 1, 2020, rates and hours for parking meters in Downtown Colorado Springs and Old Colorado City will increase. Rates at city-operated parking garages in Downtown as well as a surface lot in Old Colorado City will also increase both for daily users and monthly permit holders.
Parking meter rates have not increased in 14 years (2006), despite tremendous growth in the city center.
“At .75 cents per hour, our parking rates are abnormally low, and they have not kept up with the economy,” said Scott Lee, Parking Director for the City of Colorado Springs. “That has left us with significant and overdue infrastructure and maintenance needs that we’ve been unable to fund at the current levels. These modest increases still have us far down the list of U.S. cities in terms of parking costs, not even registering in the top 40 with our hourly rates, and ranking us 39th in price for daily garage parking.*”
“Downtown is rapidly evolving, with hundreds of new residents and hotel patrons, and a thriving culinary scene. Extending meter times into the evening creates churn, meaning multiple patrons have opportunity for on-street parking instead of those close-in spots being dominated by nighttime employees or overnight hotel patrons,” said Susan Edmondson, President and CEO of Downtown Partnership.
New hours of operation
The new hours of operation for parking meters will be Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 1-10 p.m.
Increased hours of operation will reduce the number of employees, residents and hotel guests using on-street parking for extended periods of time, thus creating turnover every few hours for patrons of shops and restaurants.
Meter rates and tiered pricing
This is the first parking meter rate change by the City in 14 years and will increase meters by just $0.25 per hour. Meters closest to the city center will charge $1.25 per hour, meters further out will be $1 per hour, and meters on the periphery will be $0.75 per hour (see chart).
City-operated garages and surface lots
The city-operated garages in Downtown are altering rates both for daily use and monthly pass holders.
New Monday through Friday hourly rates:
- 0 to 30 minutes: $0.50
- 31 minutes to 1 hour: $1
- After first hour: $1 per hour or fraction thereof
- Daily maximum: $9
- Monthly parking permits for city-operated garages will increase by $10. per permit, from $60 per month to $70 per month. Some discounts apply for groups of 75 or more.
- Permits for the surface lot in Old Colorado City will increase by $10 to $35 per month.
- Special event parking in city-operated garages will increase from $3 to $5.
Other changes in 2020
While immediate changes include rates and hours, early in 2020 new meters will be installed that also will allow for progressive pricing (the ability to extend parking time at progressive cost) and mobile payment options to allow users to add time to their meters remotely.
*Per a 2018 Study by Parkopedia