You’ll Have to Pay More to Park on Auraria This Summer

Starting in summer 2020, Auraria students are going to have to fork over more money to park on campus.

The price for Auraria’s three parking garages and 12 lots will increase by 25 cents this summer and again in summer 2021, said Lena Price, the director of parking and transportation services at Auraria. 

This means that starting in the 2020-21 school year, the most expensive parking will be $7.25 for a day and the cheapest will be $4. These price hikes are part of a three- year plan that the Auraria Board approved in 2017 and took effect last year. Though unpopular, the hikes are necessary, Price said. 

“The money that we generate from parking goes towards causes that benefits them on the backend,” Price said. “It goes back to deferred maintenance, and upkeep of the campus. It goes back to the student bond so that tuition doesn’t go up for students.”

Parking does not directly affect MSU Denver tuition, university spokesman Tim Carroll said. The Auraria Higher Education Center uses parking revenue to offset operating costs. Auraria doesn’t receive state funding so the three institutions — MSU Denver, University of Colorado-Denver and Community College of Denver — pay a fee into the Auraria General Fund.

This school year, the institutions paid $21.5 million total with $10.8 million coming from MSU Denver, according to a presentation created by Auraria Chief Business Officer Bill Mummert. If parking prices were to be slashed in half or entirely, then the lost revenue would be made up through that fee which could affect MSU Denver tuition or other fees.

In total, the campus made $3.2 million last school year in parking through regular and event fees, and unpaid fines. That money’s impact can be seen every day, Price said. It has provided better lighting on Auraria and the campus shuttle service, which gives disabled students rides to class and is available to all students 5 – 10 p.m. Other services include tire fixing, battery jumping and bringing gas to someone with an empty tank.

Despite the services that the prices fund, not all students are happy.

“There’s not enough space for students to park,” said Coalton Hostetler, a CU Denver film student. “We already don’t have enough parking and now they want us to pay more for it. I don’t think they care.” 

The Parking Department does offer special services for students and faculty such as parking passes and registering a vehicle online to circumvent event prices. The highest cost for a spring 2020 semester parking pass is $552.20.

The department is also considering a plan that will allow people to pay in three increments over the semester rather than up front. If students or faculty don’t want to pay the price for event parking, they can register their vehicle on the AHEC website, Price said. She recognizes, though, that this isn’t well-known around campus and that only the “attentive” students are aware.

“I didn’t know about any of that,” CCD student Coleman Erickson said. “I think they need to do a better job talking about that.” 

There’s also a hope that the steady increases will deter people who are visiting downtown Denver from taking parking spots from the Auraria community, Price said. After this summer’s price hike, the $7 maximum that students will pay is still a lower upfront cost compared to other public parking lots downtown and other campuses. Auraria students and faculty with questions, comments or concerns are encouraged to visit the parking office in the 7th Street Garage, email the department or reach out to the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board in Tivoli Room 314.

“We are not trying to put our students, faculty or staff in a hardship. That’s not something that we do,” Price said. “Parking and the cost of parking is not going away. So, how can we work together to make it a feasible situation?”