Breckenridge Free skier parking on Airport Road will need to be relocated over the next few years, and town staff say it’s likely one of last year’s free parking spots will be on Airport Road.

One A development of approximately 100 units called “Runway” will be built on top of this The construction of the current land is planned to be completed by 2028. The town has been exploring options for the overflow parking lot’s new home since July, and now staff think they’ve found it. However, not all officials were able to support the proposal discussed at the Breckenridge City Council meeting on November 12.

The staff wants to build a new plot of land McCain parcel off Coyne Valley Road and Colorado Highway 9 near the entrance of the city.

Mayor Kelly Owens, council member Carol Saade and council member Todd Rankin generally showed support. Council members Dick Carleton and Jay Beckerman asked to postpone the vote to a later date. Council members Steve Gerard and Marika Page were not present.

The proposal to move the parking lot to McCain first came before officials in July and was met with concerns from most council members. Town staff returned to council Tuesday with an updated proposal that addresses some concerns. The new proposal moves the lot further north on the McCain parcel and reduces the number of parking spaces from 500 to 350.

Project manager Rick Holman said data shows Airport Road’s 500 spots are filled by only about a dozen a year. He said the town is trying to rely on a potential park partnership negotiated between Breckenridge Ski Resort and Colorado Mountain College to account for the busiest days of the season. Staff said that part of the land parcel allocated for snow storage may also be used as a parking lot from time to time.

A staff memo from the meeting states that town staff discussed changing the use of the land so that “true overflow would be used only on peak days.”

City manager Shannon Haynes said the plan is for the land to be free at this time.

The statement says the ski resort plans to gradually test and implement changes to carpool discounts, reservations and optional pricing changes in the South Gondola section once the North gondola slot is full. Holman added that there are also discussions about potential flexible midweek pricing for parking.

Holman said there may be some changes in the near future, but Breckenridge Ski Resort “is not ready to say ‘we’re not going to have a free option.’

Staff hope these efforts will allow less use of parking spaces that are not overcrowded, eliminating the need to run free shuttles on weekdays when they are not overly busy.

There will likely be no light in the area as the staff does not recommend this. And it is not yet known what the land can be used for in the summer.

Carleton, who had the strongest opposition to the proposal, said he felt now was not the time to vote. He said the town has been in discussions with different entities, including the school district and the ski resort, and thinks “we need a little more time to let some of those discussions come to fruition.”

Beckerman shared a similar sentiment and advised officials to “increase the pauses and delay (the decision).”

Carleton also expressed concerns about impacts to open space on the McCain parcel, which has a river corridor in its western portion.

“We’ve been so excited about (this becoming open space) for the last five years… the impacts of these things (on the western part of the parcel) haven’t even been discussed and we need to think hard. “That’s what it’s about,” he said.

One thing many council members appreciated was that the cost of the move was only $5,000. Since the site has already been developed and prepared with crushed rocks, no further work will need to be done, greatly reducing the cost. McCain’s parking proposal, which would place the lot in the undeveloped southeast part of the parcel, came with a price tag of $500,000. Saade said at the meeting that he was ready to join the offer, citing the “low price point”.

Holman said another plus of the proposed site is its location, which provides better traffic flow at the busy intersection near Fairview Boulevard, compared to the original proposal.

The other option on the table was to keep the parking lot on Airport Road and move it north of Upper Blue Elementary School. Staff said this would be difficult to schedule given the 100-unit development is coming online.

Officials said that discussions on the issue will continue.