The Mobility and Transportation Advisory Board (MTAB) will review the Jackson Street Corridor Plan. The goals of the plan are to make east downtown more pedestrian-friendly and more ready for redevelopment. They propose making the streets narrower and the sidewalks wider.
This will result in a significant reduction in available parking spots. Page 39 of the meeting packet refers to "removing 51 on-street parking spaces." The diagram above shows a loss ranging from 47-58 spaces.
The plan explains that there is usually capacity in the parking garages but that people are reluctant to use the garages ("user perceptions regarding safety, accessibility, and convenience of parking garages often influence their choice").
The plan speculates that people park on the street because those spots are currently free (no need to register or use a kiosk). The document suggests that they add street parking to the kiosk system. (p. 17 - "This approach would mitigate the current advantage street parking holds over parking garage options.")
The plan anticipates future redevelopment in the east downtown area and adds that the Planning Commission is considering code changes that would allow new downtown housing to be built with less parking.
Page 15 of the meeting packet:
The anticipated growth of East Downtown is fueled by housing opportunities. Historically, regulatory ordinances limited residential development, affecting economic growth in commercial downtown areas. The Planning Commission is considering code revisions to enable more housing and mixed-use developments. Adjustments to downtown parking requirements, for both existing and new uses, are crucial to accommodate these anticipated changes.
Parking Policies
The ongoing project of managing downtown parking in Golden is geared towards fostering a “park once and walk” environment. Recent requirements have been established to exempt existing properties in the East Downtown Vicinity from providing extra parking for changes of use. Additionally, new construction or significant additions are now mandated to provide less parking. The existing parking conditions have been analyzed and are summarized elsewhere in this report.
To submit written comment on the plan, sent email to planning@cityofgolden.net.
Watch the meeting on this page (starting at 6PM).
See the meeting packet here.
Attend in person at City Hall.
