This article misstated the time cars are required to be out of the lot. Cars are required to be out of the lot by 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Additional information was added to the story for clarity.

Downtown Glenwood Springs workers and patrons might be losing their daily parking spot to a bunch of luxury cars for the next 12 days. 

The city is renting out the entire parking garage at Ninth Street and Cooper Avenue from Thursday to March 7 to house luxury cars for an Aspen event. 

---

---

“They’re willing to pay for use of the garage, so I’m here making an ask of, will council support the temporary closure to the public for the parking garage?” Christian Henny, the president of Hotel Colorado, said at a recent City Council meeting.

This is the only covered parking garage within the Roaring Fork Valley that could house so many vehicles at once, and Councilor Ingrid Wussow said in a later interview that the parking garage on Ninth Street and Cooper Avenue is due for some expensive upgrades and upkeep, estimated to cost the city $400,000, this would cover 15% of that cost.

---

---

Council unanimously approved the rental of the garage, agreeing to charge $5,000 a day for the rental, creating a revenue of $60,000 to be appropriated at staff’s discretion.

“You’re going to take some heat over this, but it is an opportunity to bring some business to town that otherwise we wouldn’t have,” City Attorney Karl Hanlon said. 

City Council was given a range of $1,000- $4,000 to charge per day. Hanlon recommended charging more, since it would cause a lot of pushback.

The renters are a high-end automotive group that will provide 24-hour security for the stored vehicles. 

“This is a fairly lengthy (rental) that will have an impact on parking downtown because the garage is full most days,” City Attorney Karl Hanlon said.

Henny offered parking at Hotel Colorado, and the city created a map to show people parking alternatives.

The parking garage will be reopened to the public at 5 p.m. March 7. In the meantime, all vehicles will need to be removed from the garage by 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Cars left in the lot after midnight on Wednesday will be towed at the owner’s expense, a news release from the city stated. 

Alternate downtown parking options can be found at cogs.us/ParkDowntown. Check parking signage to ensure you follow time limits to avoid parking fines. For questions, contact Bryana Starbuck at bryana.starbuck@cogs.us or 970-384-6441.

This story was corrected for attribution.

Post Independent reporter Cassandra Ballard can be reached at cballard@postindependent.com or 970-384-9131.