Boulder may test time limits for Chautauqua parking this summer

Visitors to Chautauqua this summer could, for the first time, face time limits for parking if the city goes ahead with a proposed pilot program.

During the busiest summer months of June through August, cars and trucks overflow from the designated parking areas within Chautauqua National Historic Landmark into the cottages to the south and the city neighborhoods to the north, city officials said.

City planning and transportation officials earlier this year proposed developing a pilot permit system that would require people to pay for parking. But after Boulder City Council members expressed concerns about limiting public access to the popular park, city staffers developed other alternatives, including a proposal to issue permits to residents and employees and limit visitors to a set time period.

The idea is similar to the neighborhood permit parking and time limits that already exist downtown and on University Hill.