Town Council to Consider Draft Ordinance for Full Implementation of E-Vail Courier Program to Permanently Improve Loading and Delivery Operations in Vail Village

The Vail Town Council will review sweeping changes to the town’s existing loading and delivery regulations when it considers first reading of Ord. No. 15 at its evening meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 2. The ordinance builds upon the success of the E-Vail Courier pilot program which has been in place since November 2021. Tuesday’s action item is listed as 5.2 on the meeting agenda which begins at 6 p.m. in the Vail Town Council Chambers with opportunities for public comment.

Consideration of Ord. No. 15 follows an earlier review by Town Council of key provisions of the ordinance which would amend the Vail Town Code to fully implement use of electric carts to deliver goods to storefronts in Vail’s pedestrian areas while strictly limiting access by other vehicles. As drafted, the ordinance outlines new regulations and corresponding maps detailing changes to traffic flow, limitations on vehicular access, use of outlying loading docks and proposed monthly loading dock fee schedules that would be collected from delivery companies to recover a portion of the estimated annual operating cost of $1.2 million. An earlier recommendation to collect an annual loading and delivery fee from businesses in Vail Village and Lionshead has been withdrawn at the direction of the Town Council. Another modification expands the time allowed for close-in storefront access by businesses than previously recommended.

Opportunities for public comment are available in advance of Tuesday’s meeting by emailing publicinput.vailtowncouncil@vailgov.com or will be available in-person at the meeting or virtually by registering at www.vailgov.com/town-council. The meeting will be live streamed by High Five Access Media.

Since its launch during the 2021-2022 ski season, the goal of the E-Vail Courier pilot program has been to improve the guest experience by reducing the number of idling oversize delivery vehicles in the Village core and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Since contracting with local logistics company 106 West to facilitate the program, 40 businesses are now being serviced on a regular basis which has taken 18 trucks out of the pedestrian area and into the nearby loading dock at Mountain Plaza. Up to 60,000 pounds of deliveries are being handled on busy days, with a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The pilot program has been overseen by a working group with representation from numerous town departments, 106 West and Vail Mountain. The program has been funded by the town through Sept. 30 and is currently operating with 1 dockmaster, 4 delivery drivers, and 2 low speed electric vehicles. Full implementation of the program requires code amendments authorized by the Vail Town Council as well as additional staffing, equipment and infrastructure.

As outlined in the draft ordinance multiple funding sources have been identified to help offset costs. This includes:

• Monthly Loading Dock Fee – The loading dock fee, ranging from $250 to $2,250 per month, would be charged for delivery businesses that access any loading dock in the Village or Lionshead. The loading dock fee would be charged on an annual basis through a permit process managed by the police department on a tiered system.
• Town subsidy - In addition to $100,000 start-up capital needs, the town would subsidize annual operations by approximately $600,000 from the General Fund.

The draft ordinance also contains a map detailing access modifications to Vail Village as follows:

• A new vehicle direction of travel
• Additional parking for service vehicles
• High volume commercial carrier zones
• No delivery vehicle access on Bridge Street
• Business owner/employee close-in vehicle access to designated areas from 9 to 11 a.m. when actively loading or unloading
• Ski/snowboard tuning access twice daily 5 to 8 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.

Loading and delivery operations in Lionshead Village would remain largely unchanged with adoption of the new policies; however, stricter restrictions are proposed for vehicles entering the pedestrian mall.

Town ordinances require two readings and a public hearing for adoption. As proposed, the full-scale program would become effective Oct. 1, 2022, with the start of monthly loading dock fee collections.

Review the staff memo outlining the draft ordinance here or for questions, contact Police Cmdr. Ryan Kenney at 970-477-3433 or rkenney@vailgov.com.