Ford Park may become a Parking Structure

A new parking garage under Ford Park?

Those who support the new Ford Park parking structure feel the?parking on?Vail's Frontage Roads is?why taxpayers should? build a large one-story parking structure under the ball fields at Ford Park.? The ball fields are to be converted to artificial turf and placed on top of the proposed parking structure. The proposal is expected to be included in a Vail Recreation District (VRD) master plan to be presented to the Vail Town Council in early August.? Some VRD officials appear to be aiming at putting a property tax measure on the election ballot within a year or so.? The ballot will most likely include the parking structure and perhaps other major recreational amenities.?

Critics note that Frontage Road parking is a short-term need, which will diminish or be eliminated once an estimated 2,000 new privately owned parking spaces are completed as part the Vail Renaissance, now under construction.? There are well-over an estimated 6,000 new parking spaces being proposed as part the new development at the Lionshead Parking Structure and Evervail.?

Vail?property taxes just went up anywhere from 42% to 100%.? I hardly think Vail homeowner's want?higher taxes to support Vail?Resort's needs.

The Vail Homeowners Association is concerned that officials may be losing sight of the need for adherence to Vail's long standing goal of maintaining the quality of the Vail experience both on Vail Mountain and throughout the community for its residents and guests.? Greater attention must be paid by responsible authorities to the cumulative effects from excessive growth and failure to achieve balanced and fiscally responsible long-term solutions to critical parking and transportation needs.????

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Ford Park?was proposed to be developed as an urban commercial town center and?open space for the?public's, cultural and recreational?enjoyment.?Some public officials?are attempting to build support for the Ford Park parking structure proposal, by moving away from their former positions of looking to Vail Resorts' (VRI) Ever Vail Project as the next site for additional public parking.? They state that parking spaces in Ever Vail will be too inconveniently located to be useful.???

The politics of parking in Vail needs attention, but?do we really want artifical turf?on our ball fields? Seems we need to pay attention to what the Town of Vail is proposing and voice our opinions.

For information on Vail property, contact Teri Lester, Eco-Broker 970-376-0779 or tlwester@gatewayland.com

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