Street parking spots in Olde Town Arvada fill up almost every day, and business owners along the historic district's brick sidewalks say that's exactly why they don't understand why the city wants to start charging for it. The City of Arvada is weighing a plan to charge for parking in and around the district, arguing it will help business by encouraging turnover — but the merchants who'd feel the effects most directly aren't convinced.
Ali Larsen, who owns Walking Mermaid Boutique in Olde Town Arvada, told CBS Colorado there is already substantial parking turnover in the district and that finding a spot has not been an issue for her customers. She opposes the city's proposal to charge for some parking spaces, according to the same report, and business owners more broadly say the plan addresses a problem they don't believe actually exists.
Debbie Hansen, who owns La Dolce Vita Cafe across the street from Walking Mermaid, offered a blunt illustration of her concern to the outlet: a $2 parking charge could effectively turn a $3 cup of coffee into a $5 purchase once customers factor in the cost of parking. She said paid parking will discourage people from coming to Olde Town at all, and that shoppers may simply choose businesses elsewhere where they can park for free. Hansen said she hopes city officials are listening to business owners, and the merchants interviewed say they hope Arvada officials will change their minds about the proposal.
The City's Case for Charging at the Curb
Rachael Kuroiwa, director of communications and engagement for the City of Arvada, said additional parking revenue would help fund Olde Town reinvestment projects and pay for parking management in the area, per the CBS Colorado report. The city says paid street parking would create more turnover and more opportunities for visitors to actually park outside the businesses they're trying to reach, rather than circling for an open spot.
That argument is backed by City of Arvada data showing on-street parking in Olde Town averages 92 percent daily occupancy and hits 100 percent during peak evenings and weekends — well above the 85 percent threshold traffic consultants generally cite as the point where parking systems stop functioning efficiently. Meanwhile, the Olde Town Hub parking garage, which offers 600 free parking spaces, sits mostly empty: it averages just 35 percent daily occupancy and tops out between 55 and 90 percent even during major events, according to the city's data.
Thousands Weigh In Before Council Study Session
The city gathered more than 4,000 survey responses from business owners, employees, residents, and visitors before closing public input on September 9, ahead of an Arvada City Council study session scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 2026. The council will discuss the parking proposal at this week's meeting, per the CBS Colorado report, giving members a chance to review preliminary survey results before any formal action.
This isn't the city's first look at the issue. Transportation staff previously presented parking demand studies to the council in October 2024 and April 2025, according to CitizenPortal.ai. Those earlier council discussions floated hourly parking fees near $1 with an initial free window for quick errands.
Navigating Existing Rules and Recent Disruptions
Street parking in Olde Town is already subject to strictly enforced two-hour and four-hour time limits between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., and vehicles must move at least 500 feet after time expires to avoid a citation, according to the City of Arvada. Overnight street parking is allowed, but cars must move by 10 a.m.
Merchants have also weathered other recent disruptions. Earlier this year, Xcel Energy and the city carried out an alley power line undergrounding project that closed blocks between Yukon Street and Olde Wadsworth Boulevard for eight-week segments, requiring temporary lane closures along Ralston Road and Grandview Avenue, according to the Ashton White Real Estate blog.
A District Built Around More Than Cars
Business owners describe Olde Town Arvada as having a community vibe that goes beyond its role as a shopping district, per the CBS Colorado report — a sentiment tied to the neighborhood's identity as a National Register of Historic Places district that traces its roots to a 19th-century agricultural hub once known nationally as the “Celery Capital of the World.” The area's post-COVID transformation is also part of the backdrop: the City Council adopted the Olde Town Arvada Strategic Reinvestment Plan in October 2023, a 20-year framework studying whether to make permanent pandemic-era street closures.
The district is also directly connected to downtown Denver's Union Station and Denver International Airport via the RTD G Line commuter rail, which has served Olde Town since 2019 and stops adjacent to the transit hub garage. That regional access sits alongside a growing population base — Arvada was Colorado's seventh most populous city with 124,402 residents as of the 2020 Census, following a decade of 9 percent population growth in Jefferson County, a trend that continues to place demand on the historic downtown's aging infrastructure.
For now, the debate remains unresolved. Business owners like Larsen and Hansen say the current system works fine and fear paid meters will push customers away, while city officials maintain that fees tied to the reinvestment plan will fund improvements and steer more visitors toward the underused garage. Arvada's council is expected to weigh both sides as it reviews the survey results this week.
