Mountain Village Town Council to consider new winter parking fees in special meeting on November 30

In a special meeting on Thursday, November 30, 2023, the Mountain Village Town Council is scheduled to consider a Memorandum of Understanding with Telluride Ski & Golf that would authorize paid parking in parking structures and lots throughout Mountain Village.

The MOU was drafted after several public meetings over the last year in which Council and Town staff discussed implementing a paid parking management plan. If approved, Council will determine the date the new rates will go into effect.

The new proposal includes adding tiered winter daytime rates to the Gondola Parking Garage, Meadows Lot and South Village Lot. It also proposes increasing year-round rates at the Heritage Parking Garage and North Village Lot as well as adjusting overnight parking fees and policies for all lots.

The policy also calls for a $200 per winter employee parking pass for the Gondola Parking Garage and Meadows parking lot. This pass would be transferrable among groups of drivers to encourage employee carpooling.

In September 2022, the Town engaged Walker Consultants, a respected resort parking consultant, to conduct an analysis that benchmarked Mountain Village parking to 12 other peer resort/mountain communities. Walker highlighted that ski resorts such as Steamboat charge $40-$50 per day for less convenient parking – farther away, without ski-out access to terrain.

Walker found that the single biggest contributing factor to winter parking issues is free parking in the Gondola Parking Garage and Meadows Lot, which leads to single occupancy vehicles.

“Those who have tried to park in Mountain Village on a sunny powder day in recent years don’t need a study to know that the current parking situation is untenable,” said Mountain Village Town Manager Paul Wisor. “The new parking policy was developed to discourage single occupancy vehicles parking in the Gondola Parking Garage while also subsidizing the current cost of operating the Town’s garages and lots by also creating a revenue stream to build more parking in the future.”

To view Walker’s full presentation to the council from September 2023, please visit: bit.ly/3PK5Vbz.

The new parking charges will also help close a maintenance gap of $1.2 million per year which is currently borne by Mountain Village taxpayers and is more appropriately shared by users of the parking areas. A portion of the revenue will be used to finance a future expansion of the Gondola Parking Garage that would add 400 parking spaces on two additional levels.

The parking plan that Council will consider this week proposes the following parking fees:

Gondola Parking Garage – daily rates (winter only)

• Monday – Thursday $10/day
• Friday – Sunday $15/day
• Overnight (2 a.m. – 6:30 a.m.) $30
• Commuter / Employee Permit $200/season
• Resident Permits Exempt from Day Rates

Meadows – daily rates (winter only)

• Monday – Thursday $10/day
• Friday – Sunday $15/day
• Commuter / Employee Permit $200/season
• Free After 5 p.m.
• Overnight By Permit Only (2 a.m. – 6:30 a.m.)
• Resident Permits Exempt from Day Rates

Employee / Commuter Permit

• $200/season (winter only)
• $50/month if not paid in advance
• Valid in Gondola Parking Garage and Meadows Lot
• Available to anyone employed by a business located in Mountain Village
• Proof of employment required
• Transferrable to encourage carpooling
• No overnight parking privileges

“The Town recognizes this isn’t an easy change for those who have grown accustomed to free parking in the Gondola Parking Garage,” said Transportation Director Jim Loebe. “But as the only comparable resort community that doesn’t charge for daytime winter parking, it’s a crucial step in managing our parking inventory.”

Packet materials for this discussion may be viewed at: bit.ly/47VRYPb.

Town Council is scheduled to consider this item at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, November 30. However, agenda times are approximate and subject to change and this discussion could begin earlier in the meeting that starts at 5 p.m.

The public is invited to attend all meetings virtually or in person. Town Council meeting info and Zoom log-in information is posted on our website.

Written public comments may be addressed to Town Council and sent to .