Other/Miscellaneous Request Template (Appointments; ROW; Code Changes; Zoning Action, etc.)
Date Submitted: 4-10-2023
Requesting Agency: DOTI
Division:
Subject Matter Expert Name: Cindy Patton
Email Address: Cynthia.Patton@denvergov.org
Phone Number:
Item Title & Description:
(Do not delete the following instructions)
These appear on the Council meeting agenda. Initially, the requesting agency will enter a 2-3 sentence description. Upon bill filling, the City Attorney’s Office should enter the title above the description (the title should be in bold font).
Both the title and description must be entered between the red “title” and “body” below. Do not at any time delete the red “title” or “body” markers from this template.
title
A bill for an ordinance amending Chapter 54 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code to regulate and enforce the parking of vehicles, including large vehicles and vehicle junkers, in the public right-of-way.
Amends Chapter 54 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code to create new curbside and parking enforcement mechanisms to address emerging safety and space management issues, citywide. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 4-11-2023.
body
Affected Council District(s) or citywide? Citywide
Executive Summary with Rationale and Impact:
Detailed description of the item and why we are doing it. This can be a separate attachment.
Updates are being recommended for Chapter 54, Sec. 420, 464, 465, 466, 786, 788, 811, 812. The updated language will better regulate and respond to evolving parking patterns and behaviors, expand how curbside regulation tools are applied citywide to address both residential and non-residential areas of the city, clean up outdated language or requirements that are no longer effective operationally or administratively, improve effectiveness of enforcement tools for the teams engaged in this work daily while making it easier to engage with vehicle owner/ occupants to offer resources and assistance.
The current challenges include parking time limits that do not effectively manage turnover and curbside access in high demand areas; large vehicle parking (e.g. commercial vehicles) parked in the public right of way for extended periods of time; and campers and non-operable vehicles (“junkers”) parked in the public right of way for extended periods of time. These circumstances can create unsafe conditions for the people inside of the vehicle or residents/businesses in the area including storage of large amounts of propane, gasoline, heaters, and stoves; dangerous fires that have proved fatal; obstruction of the right of way, people (and children) living in unsafe conditions, public health issues, etc. Burned vehicles are especially difficult to remove safely and, in many of the situations described above, hazardous materials including human waste are draining into the street and washed into our inlets impacting water quality.
Current regulatory tools available to enforcement teams in Chapter 54 are proving insufficient to deal with the situations described above. For large vehicles, unattached trailers, semi-trucks/trailers, and in-operable vehicles, a two-hour limit only applies in residential neighborhoods. Vehicles with attached campers are limited to 24-hour parking but only in residential neighborhoods. Current 72-hour parking rules allow vehicles, including junkers, to move only 100’ and remain in compliance.
Updated Chapter 54 code language includes expanded restrictions for large vehicles in all city zones (not just residential), expands the distance a vehicle must move after 72-hours and all overtime parking stays to 700’ (a block), redefines and expands time limits for vehicles that meet the definition of a “junker,” removes some requirements around providing notice that are ineffective and administratively burdensome, and clarifies provisions for towing.
Address/Location (if applicable):
Legal Description (if applicable):
Denver Revised Municipal Code (D.R.M.C.) Citation (if applicable): Chapter 54, Sec. 420, 464, 465, 466, 786, 788, 811, 812.
Draft Bill Attached? yes