Parking permit prices on campus will increase by 3 percent next school year for students and staff at Colorado State University. Students living in the residence halls will see a 32 percent increase in permit prices.
The Colorado State Board of Governors met Tuesday to approve the increases to parking prices. Tony Frank, president of the University, said that parking fees and fines are something CSU is prohibited by law from updating on their own.
It has been two years since parking fees have gone before the Board. Although all permits will experience an increase, the change is facilitated with residence hall students specifically in mind.
“We’ll sort of stick with the current plan. Rates will go up,” Frank said.
The proposed parking changes, which were adopted by the Board officially on Tuesday, were the result of months of feedback gathered from students and faculty as well as partnering with the Associated Students of Colorado State University, Dell Rae Ciaravola, public relations coordinator for the University, wrote in an email to the Collegian.
Lynn Johnson, vice president for University Operations, said that rates are going up as part of the University’s efforts to increase sustainability on campus. For students living in the residence halls, there is an emphasis placed on first-year students not bringing a car to campus and utilizing alternative transportation.
“This is the (parking) plan that’s going to meet the majority of their needs,” Johnson said.
Frank said the long term context of the university parking plan is more about a pedestrian core and alternative transportation.
ASCSU has worked with the city of Fort Collins to bring more alternative transportation to campus, such as the bike sharing program and the implementation of the MAX bus.
Daniela Pineda Soracá, ASCSU president, encouraged the university to invest in mass transit on campus for students if cars for first-year students, and otherwise, will continue to be discouraged.
Compared to other universities, CSU has historically had dramatically different, or lower, parking permit rates, Frank said.
Frank also said that students are conscious of parking—they are smart enough to park a block away for free and walk to campus rather than paying what the current permits run. Neighborhood permit parking is a city decision, not a university decision, but students parking in neighborhoods without permits has an impact on both the city and the University.
While some students choose to park for free off campus, other students and faculty prefer the spots closest to their place of work or classroom, especially in the event that they are running late. Remote lots or garages do not fill up as quickly.
Governor Scott Johnson of the Board of Governors was concerned that if the remote locations are not being used, the university is already at its capacity for parking. Lynn Johnson said there is still a need for all of the lots CSU has currently.
Collegian reporter Rachel Telljohn can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @racheltelljohn.
