The Vail Town Council will review recommendations for the 2019 summer parking program during its evening meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The action item is listed as 7.1 on the meeting agenda which begins at 6 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers with opportunities for public comment.

The Vail Parking & Transportation Task Force, a 12-member volunteer advisory group with representation from local businesses and the community at-large, met on Feb. 8 to review policies and operations implemented during the 2018 summer season and recommends retaining those programs for the 2019 season which includes free daytime parking in the structures and a $25 overnight fee.

As recommended, the overnight fee would again be enacted during the period of 4 to 5 a.m. in the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures. During the 2018 summer season, the fee was considered to be an effective deterrent in reducing the number of vehicles parked overnight by nearly half, thereby creating additional capacity for free parking offered during the day and limiting overflow parking on the frontage road.

Exemptions to the $25 overnight fee are recommended to include the following: 

• Guests of nearby hotels and condominiums, per town authorization, due to parking limitations on site
• Group business scenarios where parking demands exceed onsite availability
• Any Red, Green, Blue, Silver or Gold parking pass holders from the 2018-2019 winter season
• Employees who work overnight at a Vail Village or Lionshead business, including Vail Health Hospital
• Those who arrange an alternate ride home in lieu of driving while intoxicated

As proposed, the new overnight summer fee would be implemented from Memorial Day to the end of September.
In addition to retaining the summer policies associated with the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures, the Task Force recommends promoting the availability of the new Red Sandstone Parking Garage which will be available for free access by the general public, including free overnight parking. The garage, which includes 40 spaces for the elementary school, will provide an additional 120 public spaces on a daily basis and up to 160 public spaces from June 14 to Aug. 11 as well as other non-school days outside of the summer break. The new garage is considered to be a viable option for those accessing Lionshead and on weekends and during special events, such as the Fourth of July.

To view the staff memo on this topic, click here or to forward comments in advance of the meeting, email the Town Council at towncouncil@vailgov.com.