125+ cars towed in unincorporated part of one Colorado country since new parking ordinance took effect in January
Since taking effect on Jan. 1, a new parking ordinance in unincorporated areas of Arapahoe County has already helped clean up the streets.
Deputies with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office say they receive parking complaints every day in the Four Square Mile community, which has a higher-density population and more people parking. They add it's been an ongoing problem for 10-15 years but has gotten much worse in the past two years.
When driving through the area near Harvard Avenue and Quebec Street or Harvard Avenue and Trenton Way, it didn't take long to find vehicles abandoned, being worked on, unlicensed or bumper-to-bumper with one another.
"They would park so close, so you couldn't tell whether it was unlicensed or not," said Mark Lampert, the facilitator for the Four Square Mile Homeowners Association. "You see people working on cars, cleaning the cars, re-doing the oil. It's the total disrespect of the parking signs has just inundated the area with so many cars."
"I've seen engines on engine hoists, literally on the sidewalk repairing engines, or doing a full brake re-build on their vehicles or motorcycles," said Deputy Jason Presley.
Presley and Lampert both said the problem has been an eyesore, a nuisance and public safety issue for years.
"People cannot find places to park," said Lampert. "It was very dangerous for people crossing the street."
County commissioners approved the ordinance, which aims to be more strict than other municipalities, and with the goal of solving the illegal parking problem.
The new ordinance now targets all vehicles parked illegally in unincorporated Arapahoe County, whether they're abandoned or unregistered, a vehicle being worked on in the right-of-way or vehicles being stored. The ordinance targets anything as small as motorcycles to as large as oversized vehicles and RVs.
"It is a public safety issue when they are parked on narrow streets, or when people are also working on their vehicles," said Presley.
Deputies are now placing green warning tags on illegally parked vehicles, and then deputies will follow up after 48 hours. If the vehicle is still there, the owner could face the fine or their vehicle being towed, or both.
It's a much stiffer and costlier ordinance now. Previously, deputies could only issue $22 fines to people. Now deputies can issue fines of $150. Presley said owners could now find themselves responsible for the citation and the impounded vehicle, which is costing owners even more money.
"It's a lot more money that people are having to pay up," said Presley. "Sometimes it takes increased fines to solve the problem. In this case, it's working."
Presley said more than 125 vehicles have been towed since Jan. 1, about a 70% increase from this time last year.
A motorcycle was also towed on Tuesday, and next to it was another motorcycle that had been tagged.
"The motorcycle that was towed, it has been parked there illegally for a couple years, according to a resident," said Presley.
Presley added often times when they contact the vehicle's owner, they find that many vehicles are also stolen. They'll even have a number of vehicles towed, and a few hours later, spots are filled back up with illegal parking.
Improvements and progress have already been seen, though, and deputies plan to stay on top of the issue. Trash and debris are now left behind since the ordinance took effect, but most importantly, the roads are much clearer.
"We are being proactive, and this is what the community wanted and we're going follow through the best we can to solve the problem," said Presley. "It's going to take some time before we really see a huge improvement but we're hopeful."
"I think that the word is getting out and it has changed dramatically. Parking has been opened up in the streets, so residents can now come home at night and find a place to park," said Lampert.
Deputies said they put out numerous notices before Jan. 1, letting community members know about the change in ordinance. They hope to continue education and outreach to keep people updated.
For more information about the parking ordinance, visit a special section of arapahoeco.gov.
