AURORA | The cost to park at the two-story Iliff garage being constructed for the Aurora “R” Line light rail stop is finally taking shape.
Aurora City Council members gave initial approval to a plan that would charge commuters daily and monthly rates to use the 600-space garage at Monday’s study session.
Under the plan, the minimum cost per day to park in the garage would be $3, and $50 for monthly parking. If the garage proves to be popular and exceeds 90 percent capacity, those rates could be raised as high as $5 per day and $85 per month.
Robert Ferrin, Aurora’s parking program manager, said the rates were based on capacity seen at nearby light rail stations such as Nine Mile, which he said is regularly 98 percent full. The rates are also based on an estimated cost of transportation to 16th Street and California Street in Denver from the Iliff Station stop at East Iliff Avenue and Interstate 225.
The city hired consulting firm Kimley-Horn to create a business plan for parking in anticipation that demand for spots will come from more people using the 10.5-mile line that will run along the I-225 corridor from Nine Mile station at Parker Road to Peoria Street on the Anschutz Medical Campus and connect with the East Rail line to Denver International Airport.
Ferrin said the rates would be flexible when the garage opened, and that the city would regularly analyze the parking garage’s capacity.
“We’re going to respond to the market. We’ll take a month-by-month approach to it,” Ferrin said.
According to city documents, money generated from the Iliff Garage would be used to maintain, operate and improve it. The plan further stipulates parking revenues would only be used for transportation, parking and mobility purposes.
The plan must also go before the RTD board of directors before it is implemented later this year.
At the same study session, council members expressed disapproval with two bills that aim to curb or outright ban photo-red light cameras.
House Bill 1231, which is sponsored by Aurora Sen. Morgan Carroll, would prevent red-light cameras and radars from expanding in Colorado. HB 1231 would still allow photo red light cameras to be located in school zones, on a highway or in road construction zones, as well as on arterial roads.
House Bill 1143, which has both Republican and Democratic sponsors, would outright ban red-light cameras.
Some council members expressed their support for getting rid of the city’s photo red-light cameras, while others said they wanted the issue to go to voters to decide.
For several years, state legislators have unsuccessfully attempted to ban the cameras.
“When a legislative body has talked about something for more than 10 years, put it to vote of the people,” said Aurora Ward IV Councilman Charlie Richardson.