Fact or Fiction?

Hello, Terri. Thank you for submitting your question. You are correct. The motor vehicle use tax is a one-time municipal tax assessed on all vehicles registered to a Town address. If Town of Parker sales tax was collected by a car dealership at time of purchase, then no additional “use” tax is due. If it was purchased privately, the municipal sales tax may not have been collected by the private seller. Each transfer of ownership is then a separate taxable event, so if you sell your current vehicle, the new owner will then have to pay sales or use tax.

--Andy

Economic Development staff and restauranteurs alike are constantly evaluating Parker for potential new eating establishments. Some of these are emerging quick-serve concepts (i.e. Smashburger, Modern Market) while others are more traditional sit-down establishments. As in any new business, the controlling factor is often economic,s and this is a particularly tough equation for restaurants given Parker’s limited daytime economy. Most restaurants require both lunch and dinner demand cycles in order to succeed. However, Parker’s continued commercial growth and increasing population density make the Town an ever increasing target for new restaurants.

The section of the Kinney Creek Trail is within the Pinery, which is in Unincorporated Douglas County and not the Town of Parker; however, we are working with the County to explore a future trail connection under Parker Road that could eventually connect this trail to the Cherry Creek Regional Trail. To learn more information regarding a timeline, please contact Douglas County Parks and Trails at parksandtrails@douglas.co.us.

Many of the local water and sanitation districts (Districts) existed before the Town of Parker incorporated in 1981. Most of the local Districts are participating in the South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA) and the Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) initiatives. These initiatives are a partnership between local and regional water suppliers (including Denver and Aurora) to provide water storage (i.e. Reuter Hess Reservoir) and renewable sources of water. For more information, please visit the following websites for information on how the Districts are taking the necessary actions to ensure a long-term reliable source of water for our residents:

Parker Water and Sanitation District (www.pwsd.org)

Stonegate Village Water and Sanitation District (www.svmd.org)

Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District (www.cottonwoodwater.org)

Thank you for your question. The Town of Parker municipal code defines engaged in business as “performing or providing services or selling, leasing, renting, delivering or installing tangible personal property for storage, use or consumption within the Town." The Town of Parker does not discriminate on the basis of age. Since we have limited compliance resources, we tend to focus our effort on appropriate compliance objectives. 

Hi dcm. Thank you for your question. Limited scheduled programming has been taking place at Rueter-Hess Reservoir over the past few years and will continue this summer. You can find more information about planned events and activities at http://www.RHRecreation.org.

While some recreation activities are scheduled to take place there currently, the reservoir is not open to the general public due to lack of current infrastructure (i.e. roads, trails, restrooms, etc.). Parker Water & Sanitation District estimates that it may be several years before the funding is in place for the necessary infrastructure and on-site staffing required to accommodate the general public.

The Town of Parker is just one member of the Rueter-Hess Recreation Authority along with several other area agencies (Town of Castle Rock, City of Castle Pines, City of Lone Tree, Douglas County, Parker Water & Sanitation). The Authority is working together to help fund the necessary future improvements, in addition to pursuing funding through grants, public-private partnerships, and revenue from programmed events.

Thank you for your question, gypser. We get this question a lot. Each privately owned business has its own set of criteria it uses to select the placement of locations. The general criteria categories are income levels, educational levels, density of population within a certain distance from the location and the amount of traffic around the location of interest. Typically, Parker meets/exceeds the criteria levels for income and education, but falls short on the density of population and traffic. According to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, their selection criteria generally places stores in areas with denser populations and higher traffic counts than what we currently have in Parker.

Thank you for your question. When considering development, the Town Council must work in accordance with Parker's zoning regulations. The purpose of zoning is to regulate the use of land and the physical improvements to land located within the Town of Parker, without imposing undue burden on the land owner, as provided by state and federal law. All land within the Town of Parker’s incorporated limits is zoned for specific uses. Land owners have a legal right to develop their privately owned land, as long as the development meets the Town’s current zoning requirements. The Planning Commission, Town Council and staff work to ensure that new developments meet the Town’s vision for growth and development, design standards and building code requirements.

The Town Council and Planning Commission do not have the authority to deny a commercial development on a property that is zoned commercial, or a residential development on land that is zoned residential, as long the project meets the Town’s standards and requirements. If a developer is requesting to rezone property, for example changing the zoning of a property to allow for commercial use instead of residential use, the Town Council can vote to deny the request to change the zoning if Town Council determines that the project does not meet the nine criteria set forth in the Municipal Code, including consistency with the Parker 2035 Master Plan.

The Town Council can ensure that developers meet the Town’s zoning standards and require that they provide adequate infrastructure and amenities such as parks, trails, open space and landscaping buffers. Parker also works hard to ensure that developments are of a high quality and pay their fair share for improvements that mitigate impacts on the community, for instance, contributing to road enhancements or expansions.

You can view the Town’s boundary map to see which developments are occurring in the Town of Parker, as many of the projects under construction are located on our Town borders in Lone Tree and unincorporated Douglas County. You can also view the Town’s Zoning Map to see how land in Parker is currently zoned.

Thank you for your question! Town staff is not actively pursuing such a facility as the economics of this type of facility do not make Parker an attractive location at this point in time. We hope this information is helpful!

Thank you for your inquiry. Pending approval of the 2020 budget, the current plan is to signalize the Cottonwood/Apache Plume intersection during the planned widening of Cottonwood Drive between Jordan Road and Cottonwood Way in 2020. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. 

Thank you for your question. While the Town of Parker's boundary ends at Lincoln Avenue and Keystone, the Town of Parker, City of Lone Tree and Douglas County are working together with a goal of widening Lincoln Avenue from Peoria to Parker Road to three (3) lanes in each direction in approximately the next five (5) years. Street lights will be considered with those widening projects. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Thank you for your question. Some of the recently-installed wayfinding signs throughout the Town of Parker have been removed as their foundations were not set properly. The foundations will be fixed and the signs will be reinstalled at the contractor’s expense. It is expected the signs will be back in place by the end of the year. Please let us know if we can provide any additional information. 

Thank you for your question. The Parker Police Department provides information about its immigration policy on the Police Department website at www.ParkerPolice.org/ImmigrationPolicy. There is a department statement on that page regarding the policy, as well as a statement from the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police. I hope this information is helpful. Thanks!

Since its inception, the Town has planned for the type and location of growth in our community. This has been guided through a series of Master Plans over time, the latest of which is the Parker 2035 Master Plan which can be found at here, with a question and answer page here. While the Master Plan guides the type and location of growth, it does not guide the pace of growth, which is reflective of the overall economy of the Denver Metropolitan Area. Where the Town can manage the type and location of growth within Town, we do not have jurisdiction for properties located outside of our Town boundaries.

All property in the Town has a zone district, which sets the allowed uses for a property, as well as setback and height restrictions. Land owners have a legal right to develop their privately owned land, as long as the development meets the Town’s current zoning requirements. The Planning Commission, Town Council and staff work to ensure that new developments meet the Town’s vision for growth and development, design standards and building code requirements.

While development certainly is occurring in Town, growth has actually slowed this decade from previous decades in both percentages and actual numbers.

Thank you for your question! Hilltop Road is currently four lanes to the Town of Parker boundary. Hilltop Road east of Legend High School is in unincorporated Douglas County and is under their jurisdiction. You can view Douglas County's plans for widening Hilltop Road, as well as a staff contact for the project, here. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance!

Thank you for your question. The area that you referenced is within the jurisdiction of unincorporated Douglas County and not the Town of Parker.  Please contact Douglas County who may be able to assist you with a response.  Thank you!  

Thanks for your question. The Town’s Economic Development staff maintains close contact with both specific restaurants and their broker representatives to attract local concepts, as well as regional and national restaurants. Einstein’s Bagels and Mad Greens have both recently considered development opportunities in Parker and determined that Parker does not currently fit their profile for new locations. A number of other potential restaurant concepts are currently considering the Parker market and announcements will be made when specifics are available. We hope this information is helpful and thank you again for reaching out.

Thank you for your question! The Town does have a seat on the Centennial Airport Noise Roundtable and actively monitors and participates in the Roundtable and their activities to try to mitigate airport noise. Ryan McGee is Parker's representative and he would be more than willing to speak to you about this issue. Ryan can be reached at rmcgee@parkeronline.org. 

You can also report a Centennial Airport noise complaint here: 

http://www.centennialairport.com/index.php/2016-03-01-21-53-30/track-and-report-noise  

DIA noise complaints can be reported here:  

https://www.flydenver.com/about/administration/noise_management

We hope this information is helpful and thanks again for reaching out. 

There are a couple of residential projects under review for the east side of Crowfoot Valley Road, one to the north of Richlawn Drive (Meadowlark subdivision) and one to the south of Richlawn (Trails at Crowfoot subdivision). You can find more information on all developments that are either proposed or under construction via our handy online Active Development Tour Map at www.ParkerOnline.org/Development. Thank you!

Yes, there is. A minor development plat was just approved for this project, which will be located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Jordan Road and Parkerhouse Road. Thank you!

Thanks for your question! This sign is associated with the road construction currently taking place on Pine Drive east of Parker Road. This work, while permitted by the Town, is associated with recent development and is not being performed or funded by the Town. The sign on Indian Pipe Lane is placed for advance warning to anyone traveling east from Indian Pipe Lane onto Pine Drive. 

To learn more about Town construction projects, you can also visit the Capital Improvement Projects Update page at http://www.parkeronline.org/CIPUpdate or the interactive Street Maintenance Project Map at https://bit.ly/2ztgwn6 .

Thank you!

Thanks for your question. Parker doesn't currently have any gyms in our land use application process. You can view our development map to see what projects are underway at www.ParkerOnline.org/DevelopmentTourMap. Thanks!

Thanks for your question! Each retail or restaurant company has their own set of criteria they use to select the placement of their locations. The general criteria categories are income levels, educational levels, density of population within a certain distance from the location and the amount of traffic around the location of interest. Typically, Parker meets/exceeds the criteria levels for income and education, but falls short on the density of population and traffic. Trader Joe’s criteria generally places their stores in areas with denser populations and higher traffic counts than what we currently have in Parker.

Thanks for your question. Currently, the Town is processing the Parker Road Corridor Plan. The goal of this plan is to develop a corridor-specific vision around land use, transportation and urban design. To find out more, please visit the project website at www.parkerroadplan.com/project, where you can sign up for project updates and review project documents. Thank you!

Thanks for your question! Parker’s estimated population as of Jan. 1, 2018 is 53,528 residents.

Parker does not currently have a recycling plant. Recycling services are provided by the trash/recycling companies that contract with the individual Homeowner's Associations (HOAs) in Parker. You can find out more about recycling options at www.ParkerOnline.org/Recycling. Thank you.

The following response comes from the Parker Police Department Public Information Officer, Josh Hans: 

We are unaware of any of these cases. We looked through the last four months of our death investigations and none of them were at the park or involved 12-15 year-olds. In addition, I searched the last four months and did not find any assault that is similar to what you are describing.

If you would like to see a comprehensive map of crime in our community, you can go to http://communitycrimemap.com/.

I am sorry that you are experiencing this problem. Parker Water and Sanitation District provides water service to Parker residents.  Please contact them at 303-841-4627 to report your issue.  Thank you.