A pilot program intended to increase parking in the glitzy mountain town of Telluride is revving up controversy, complete with some residents accusing local leaders of ethical misconduct to ensure the project’s success and others posting signs calling out local homeowners’ privilege.
All over 14 parking spaces.
In April, the town of Telluride added new paid diagonal parking on a section of its main street, called Colorado Avenue. The 14 spaces are part of an experiment to creatively address an increasing parking crunch, Deputy Town Manager Hayden Brodowsky told The Denver Post by email.
The pilot is expected to run through the fall in hopes of adding capacity during the height of summer tourism and improving safety downtown. The new spots also help offset parking spaces lost due to current construction projects on Telluride’s main thoroughfare.
“With limited public parking options and increasing demand, the town launched this initiative as part of a broader strategy to expand availability, enhance safety, and support local businesses,” Brodowsky said.
The angled spaces, located on West Colorado Avenue between Davis and Aspen streets, replace what was previously a parallel parking zone in front of residential housing. Parking will revert to parallel in the winter to accommodate snow plowing.
But many of the people who own or occupy the homes for part of the year along that stretch of Colorado Avenue have been highly critical of the change, citing safety concerns for drivers and bikers, traffic congestion and negative effects on the town’s aesthetic.
“The diagonal parking creates a negative visual impact as you arrive into town,” said resident Rosie Cusack, who has lived in Telluride for 29 years. Her home abuts the new parking spots and she has seen safety issues both on the road and the sidewalks, which now get crowded with people. “It’s like this terrible vibe,” she said.
Cusack’s primary qualm is that there was an apparent lack of transparency around building the spaces and installing their corresponding meters. She believes that the town is using pilot programs as an excuse to implement new things without community input.
For people who work downtown, however, the spaces have made life easier. Currie Parnell is a guitar tech and sales associate at Telluride Music Company, located less than a block from the new parking spots. He lives outside of downtown Telluride, so he knows just how difficult it can be to find a place to park in the box canyon. The angled spots have been great in bringing customers to the music store, he said, because they are convenient and large enough to fit the kinds of trucks and 4×4 vehicles that typically roll through Telluride in the summer.
“We see a huge influx of business around festivals and July 4th,” Parnell said. “Foot traffic and car traffic picks up this time of year, so it really satisfies that demand.”
In July, an anonymous person or persons posted yellow signs near the spaces admonishing critics and implying that there is a wealth gap between them and those who are in favor of the parking. Homes in downtown Telluride are worth many millions of dollars. Property records show some on the 400 and 500 blocks of West Colorado ranging from $2.1 million to $6.6 million.
“Sorry your generational wealth can’t protect you from angled Toyotas,” read one yard sign. “Diagonal parking isn’t a bad idea, but letting wealth dictate urban planning is,” read another.
Telluride built a parking garage a few years ago to help meet the growing need for parking. Parnell thinks that was a good idea, but also called the angled spots “a quickly implemented solution, which is more straightforward.”
Plus, they generate revenue for the town because the spots are metered, he added.
On Tuesday, critics showed up in force at the town council meeting to express their concerns. One suggested the council members have a “premanufactured positive bias” of the pilot intended to strongarm it into a permanent change. Several said they felt their concerns weren’t being heard.
“Ninety percent of my residential neighborhood – which is two blocks, it’s small – is against this. I don’t know what more we can do to show you guys this,” said resident Erik Dalton during the public comment period.
One attendee accused council member Geneva Shaunette of ethical misconduct for submitting her own – notably positive – feedback of how she thinks the experiment is going so far. Shaunette, who lives on one of the blocks where the new parking spots reside, stated via the town’s feedback form, “I love the diagonal parking because I have only had to park on a side street once this entire summer. Otherwise, I’m able to park within 5 spaces of my front door. As a G permit holder, I have really felt the increase in space.”
The town attorney said Shaunette had not committed any ethical breach, but nonetheless the parking discussion ended with a heated exchange between the council and attendees.
“I identified myself, I made a comment, I don’t think that it’s less valid. I’m not financially benefiting from this in any way,” Shaunette said in the meeting. “We’re obviously having different experiences of the parking, and that’s part of making policy is everyone having different experiences coming together and sharing their opinions.”
Brodowsky, the deputy town manager, said he will continue to collect data throughout the summer regarding usage of the spots, the parking meters and any incidents reported. So far, the Telluride Marshal’s Office hasn’t observed any significant safety issues.
“Additionally, [the marshal’s office] has not received any formal complaints regarding close calls between vehicles and bicycles. The only observed traffic impacts have been brief pauses as drivers reverse out of angled spaces — none of which have led to congestion or documented safety issues,” he said.
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