MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — So many people visit Manitou Springs this time of year that they outnumber available parking spaces three to one.
The town just opened the refurbished Hiawatha parking lot, adding nearly 100 parking spaces. More than just slots for cars, the addition is part of a big picture parking strategy.
"I drive a '99 Suburban, so it is not small by any means necessary [to find parking]. It's tough," said Austin Douglas, who was in the city to hike the Manitou Incline.
When your ride is closer to a big rig than a compact,squeezing into a parking space can be a challenge. Finding one adds some appreciation for the newly opened Hiawatha parking lot on the edge of Downtown Manitou Springs.
"It used to be spider webbed through the whole thing," said Douglas.
Now new, it used to be an overflow lot on cracked and crumbling pavement outside an old, unused building.
"It's a huge investment," said Ben Schmitt, Public Service Director for Manitou Springs.
"It's not just the aspect of how beautiful the parking lot is, it's also how functional it is," said Felipe Lopez, Mobility and Parking Director for Manitou Springs.
It is a big picture parking strategy that considers the values of the town. It is the result of a decade of planning and an investment in the range of $3 million.
"The main thing our community said was we want it to be aesthetic, we want it to feel like Manitou (Springs), we want it to be modern, we want to think of something other than just how many parking spots can we put into this," said Schmitt.
Parking spots in Manitou Springs are a premium. There are close to 1,000 for the 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles a day using them. Paying to park helps the goal of consistent turnover for two of every 10 parking spots.
"Parkers would go by town, drive one loop and then leave because there's no parking for them, which is the original problem," said Lopez.
Lower cost at Hiawatha is an incentive to pick the lot and either walk or use the shuttle to other parts of town. There is a long list of other reasons intended to entice parking.
"Access to employees, to tourism, and to residents," said Lopez.
The following amenities are all new to the lot:
- bathrooms
- charging stations for electric cars
- water filling station
- bike racks
- bike repair station
- lockers
- trees to shade vehicles
- ample lighting for when it gets dark
For the environmentally conscious, there is a design element for drainage called rain gardens, which is disguised by nature.
"A big improvement as part of this project is we created stormwater infrastructure to help pre-treat all the water off the pavement before it ever goes into the creek," said Schmitt.
"I think it's so much better than what it was," said Douglas.
The project also came in on time and under budget, with savings of around $300,000.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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