Council directs staff to daylight intersections, set Home Ranch to year‑round 3‑hour parking and add 14 ADA spaces

At a Feb. 17 workshop the council voted to direct staff to implement a package of downtown parking changes aimed at improving pedestrian visibility and access. Charlotte Frey, the town’s transportation manager, told council members that staff recommend 20‑foot daylighting at 60 intersections (and a trial of 30‑foot daylighting at five high‑priority intersections), year‑round three‑hour limits at the Home Ranch lot, a new 15‑minute loading zone adjacent to the parking garage for tour pickups, and redesignation of 14 unrestricted on‑street spaces as ADA spaces over the next two summers to meet PROWAG guidance.

Frey said daylighting is required by state law and improves sight lines at intersections. "The 20 foot daylighting is the state statute, so that would be in compliance with the state statute, and we would be improving the visibility of pedestrians and vehicles at intersections," she told the council. Staff estimated implementation of the daylighting work could cost approximately $60,000 and noted some of the striping/paint work might be done in‑house.

On Home Ranch, Frey said data from 2024 and March 2025 indicate 25–30 vehicles typically parked more than three hours on a typical day and that the parking garage has capacity to absorb long‑term users. She described enforcement plans: the police department will treat the lot like surrounding three‑hour on‑street zones and include it in normal enforcement rounds. "They would include the Home Ranch lot in their rounds as they're looking for those 3 hour violations and then write tickets as appropriate," Frey said.

Councilor Beamer moved the multi‑part motion that included the daylighting, the Home Ranch changes effective about April 15, 2026, the 15‑minute loading zone by the garage and the two‑summer ADA reclassifications; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The council asked staff to return with follow‑ups: Frey said staff plan to report back in June on winter garage utilization and again in October with a summer utilization update and any needed refinements.

Why it matters: staff and several councilors emphasized pedestrian safety as the primary goal, noting daylighting removes visual clutter at intersections and that adding ADA stalls improves access for people with disabilities. Some council members asked how the town would measure success; Frey said better data (near‑miss detection equipment requested in the joint capital budget) would allow future empirical evaluation but that compliance with state statute and fewer safety complaints are primary short‑term metrics.

Next steps: staff will implement the changes, communicate with tour operators and businesses, add signage and coordinate enforcement. Council recorded the motion and voted "Aye," and the motion passed unanimously.