A new platform will allow Colorado State University students and Fort Collins community members the opportunity to rent out their extra parking spaces for events at CSU.

ParkIt was created by Cody GrandPre and Stein Christensen, two business administration students at CSU.

The platform was launched on Aug. 18 and was created to help those searching for parking spots and those wanting to sell their spots.

Those interested in finding a parking spot search for the event they are attending and select where they would like to park, according to the website. Parking spots will be outlined by sellers using washable spray paint. Buyers can pay using their debit card, PayPal or Stripe.

“The platform was created with hopes of solving a major issue of the new on-campus stadium, which is parking,” GrandPre wrote in an e-mail to the Collegian.

Parking for the new on-campus stadium will require all residents from designated halls to relocate their vehicles, according to the CSU’s stadium website. 

The re-park program for CSU’s home football games,will cause both students and other fans to find other parking on the CSU campus or around Fort Collins. This problem helped spur the creation of ParkIt.

ParkIt is also a platform for those who want to sell their parking spots. Sellers can list parking spots for events at any price, prepare the spot by outlining it with washable spray paint and then get paid by connecting a Strip account. Sellers must make sure their parking spots are accessible before the event.

Using the website, fans can reserve parking spots minutes or weeks in advance for home football games. The platform is an AirBnB-styled model and all interactions occur through the ParkIt marketplace.

Those renting a spot have up to two hours after the event ends to move their cars.

The idea for the website was created several years ago when GrandPre was attending a football game in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“People were standing in their yards with signs selling their driveway spaces for the game,” GrandPre wrote.

When the new on-campus stadium was built, GrandPre considered selling his own driveway for parking, but he did not want to miss out on game-day festivities by standing in his driveway to sell parking spots.

“This process allows the game attendees to reserve their spot in advance and removes the hassle of finding a place to park last minute,” GrandPre wrote.

The website is now focusing solely on CSU football. However, once the ParkIt team improves the system they hope to expand to new stadiums and events.

Collegian news reporter Jenn Yingling can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @jenn_yingling.