Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect that Frisco has 3-hour free parking on Main Street.

The Dillon Town Council is exploring the idea of charging visitors to park near the town marina and waterfront next summer, but the program could have an exemption for town or county residents.

During a work session Tuesday, Dec. 19, Town Council members discussed several potential changes to the town’s parking program with Interstate Parking executive vice president Gareth Lloyd.

Interstate Parking is the company that manages Dillon’s paid overnight parking system as well as parking programs for several other Colorado towns, including Breckenridge, Frisco and Idaho Springs.

Lloyd told the town council that the paid parking program Frisco has tried out the past few years has helped increase turnover and “worked out really well for the marina and the downtown core.” Interstate Parking’s program in Frisco includes paid parking at the marina and 3-hour free parking on Main Street.

Dillon Town Manager Nathan Johnson noted that this past summer the town piloted a paid parking program at the amphitheater lot during five select shows. While data was limited, the parking  — costing $50 per spot — sold out with each show, Johnson wrote in a memo to the council.

Interstate Parking monitored the amphitheater lot during these select shows to ensure only those who paid could park, Johnson said. This prevented vehicles from circling the lot and made it safer for attendees queuing nearby, he said.

Johnson called the pilot parking program at the amphitheater “fairly effective” but noted that only having reserved parking there for a few select shows created confusion for patrons as to when paid parking was “on” or “off.”

Rather than only manage parking at the amphitheater lot during shows, Johnson said it could be more effective to try out a seasonal parking program for the lakefront and town core that lasts from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“Ideally if we’re going to be doing redevelopment and want to help our local businesses, we want to pull people into the town core,” Johnson said. “So, think of a big show night it could be $30 to $50 down on the lakefront, but in the town core it could be say a couple dollars so then you get those people parking there then walking through.”

The pricing could be dynamic so that it increases when there is an event and returns to a lower rate during the rest of the season, Johnson said. Interstate Parking also has the ability to accommodate reservations for slip holders at the marina lot or set aside certain lots for amphitheater customers to reserve ahead, he said.

Lloyd outlined a potential parking program for Dillon where there would be a “very reasonable” 3-hour rate to park near the marina and waterfront that would then get more expensive after that time period to encourage turnover. 

In the town core, there could be a “nominal” parking fee, perhaps with the first half hour or hour free, to encourage people to visit businesses while still incentivizing turnover, he said.

Lloyd noted that Interstate Parking collects analytics that can help dial in the specifics of a parking program as it gets underway. The company will work with local businesses to ensure that employees can park for free, he added.

The town would be able to determine the parking program’s hours of operation, rates, signage and website layout, Lloyd said, noting that parking programs have generated a lot of revenue in towns like Breckenridge. There is no upfront cost to the town to implement a new parking program as Interstate Parking is paid through a revenue share, he said.

Several of the town council members advocated for Dillon residents and Summit County residents to get free parking. Council member Kyle Hendricks, for example, said, “I’d prefer for any concert we have for anyone in the county to be able to park for free.”

Lloyd said Interstate Parking could accommodate free parking for town or county residents and currently does so in Idaho Springs. He said residents would just have to enter their license plate number online or in-person at town hall.

Mayor Pro Tem Brad Bailey questioned whether a pilot program next summer should extend to parking throughout the waterfront or focus only on concert nights so the town council can “slowly ease it onto our constituents.”

Lloyd said after the discussion that had received enough feedback to  come back to the council in the future with more specific recommendations for a parking program for the council to consider. 

“Ultimately what I always say is you’ve only got so many parking spaces,” Lloyd said. “And this gives you the ability to utilize them to the best interests of the town, which is powerful.”