Skip to main content

South Valley Riverton Journal

Blackridge Parking Fee Put on Hold

Jun 14, 2016 10:47AM ● By Hope Zitting

Many residents had myriad questions concerning the Blackridge parking fee. –Herriman City

By Hope Zitting | [email protected]


On April 27, Tami Moody, director of Administrations and Communications of Herriman City, introduced a Public Hearing for a discussion concerning the Blackridge Reservoir, located at 15000 South Ashland Ridge Drive, and a proposed parking fee for the Blackridge Reservoir Parking Lot during the Herriman City Council Meeting.

Audience members in attendance had the opportunity to voice their opinions and other comments on the matter. Nine Herriman residents took advantage of this. Of the nine individuals, six were fully opposed; two offered recommendations to the proposed parking fee, such as only enacting it on the weekends, lowering the cost or contemplation of a pass of some sort for Herriman residents to be allowed to park for free. 

One individual mentioned it was a good idea and was in favor of the Blackridge Reservoir parking fee.

At the May 11 Herriman City Council Meeting Herriman Mayor and city council members had to decide whether they were in favor or opposed to Title 6, Chapter 8 of the Herriman Code of Ordinances with respect to parking at the Blackridge Reservoir.

Alan Rae, finance director of Herriman City, presented the discussion and action item to Freeman and the city council members.

“The council can address any part of this or reject it all if they want,” Rae said. “If you want to change the rate, change the date, change the times—that’s your choice at this point.”

After much discussion among the city council members in attendance, it was decided that the Blackridge Reservoir Parking Fee would be continued until the fourth week of October. 

When the Blackridge Parking Fee is revisited later this year, the council will address a few different rules for the ordinance that concerned Herriman residents had previously and repeatedly voiced. 

“I just want to note that the Permit Program is being put into place, so that’s going to help with a lot of parking issues in the surrounding neighborhoods, Councilmember Jared Henderson said. “This is in addition to that charging a parking fee to park at a public park—I just want to voice several concerns with that. I think we should really be moving in a more drastic, more different direction.” 

A few of the stipulations will include a resident free sticker program so Herriman residents will not be required to pay a fee to park at the reservoir.

Staff will also continue studies concerning attendance counts and where attendees reside, as well as other studies that the city council may request. 

A major reason why the Herriman City Council decided to table the vote and continue the Blackridge Reservoir Parking Fee until the end of October is because the officials wish to see how newly enacted programs addressed and alleviated issues at the end of the reservoir season, such as the Parking Permit Program that affects surrounding reservoir streets.

“Just this year for this Parking Permit Program, to date, it’s cost us $60,000 to put that in place,” Henderson said. “If we are going to continue to allow swimming, we need to enact measures to alleviate overcrowding and other problems that it creates. An emphasis has been made to those that have occurred specifically in the neighborhoods surrounding the park. I would believe that the Parking Permit Program will go a long way to alleviating those. I really think it should run its course and let us measure its effectiveness before new take any drastic measures.”

The fee, when it will be addressed once again, will be $10 per car and implemented daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Memorial weekend through Labor Day, seven days a week. Individuals without a vehicle will not need to pay the $10 fee.

Herriman City will not receive any revenue if the parking fee does come to pass. Total cost per year is estimated to be $31,110.