Mishawaka Parking Woes Continue

(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Patrons at Mishawaka Amphitheater in Bellvue, Colorado, will not be allowed to use a field in Poudre Park as a parking lot on busy weekends this summer.

Larimer County commissioners rejected a request from Mishawaka owner Robin Jones for a special-event permit for parking in the park. Concertgoers would have been shuttled from the park to the venue, which is about 6 miles away. The commissioners unanimously agreed that a parking lot is not a special event as defined by county code.

The decision was received warmly by the Poudre Park residents who had problems with Mishawaka attendees who parked and camped out in the parking, partying until all hours of the night and trespassing on residential property, according to the Coloradoan.

Jones told the paper that he hopes to meet with Poudre Park residents to see if a compromise can be reached.

If he can find a place to park cars, he would police the lot and make sure concert-goers leave after shows are over, he told the paper. He also wants to work with county officials and local landowners to find an appropriate parking location and develop a shuttle system.

Mishawaka is not alone in its parking problems, he said. Rafting, kayaking and popular hiking trails also attract a lot of cars to the canyon.

"We all need a place to park," Jones said. "There are several places that would work, but it's all forest service land."

Mishawaka can legally park about 170 on its grounds. Jones plans to seek county permission for a parking lot through a request for a special exemption to zoning regulations. The process of getting an exemption would require public hearings, which would also be heavily opposed by the residents of the area. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers

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