The construction project at Northfield High School has caused traffic problems in the area. Photo by Christie Gosch

Days before the school year began, families with students at the Paul Sandoval campus—home to Northfield High School and DSST: Conservatory Green High School—learned there would be no on-campus parking for students this year during school hours due to the construction of an auditorium and health clinic.

Caught off guard by the timing of the announcement, and with hundreds of teenage drivers now parking on streets near campus, parents and neighbors alike have raised concerns.

Scott Pribble, director of external communications for Denver Public Schools, said district staff “worked all summer to try to find a solution.” He explained, “We don’t own the property around there, so we’ve worked with adjacent property owners to see if there’s a solution. We even looked at accessing off-campus parking and shuttling people to and from campus.”

The lack of a resolution prior to the first day of school prompted the eleventh hour no-parking notice to families. DPS continues to be in conversation with Denver Parks and Recreation, which manages a field near campus that is owned by the City of Denver and could potentially be turned into a temporary parking lot.

“We knew that with this construction project, it was going to be a large headache, and for that, we apologize,” Pribble said. “We understand that the work being done out there is going to be great for the community, but it’s going to be a problem between now and then.”

To mitigate the disruption to the neighborhoods surrounding campus, DPS is encouraging students to carpool, walk, bike, or take RTD to school. An RTD bus runs between Central Park Station and the campus before and after school. A walking path between 53rd and 54th avenues has also been graded to guide students directly from street parking onto campus grounds.

“We have asked our students to be good neighbors,” Pribble said.

District and school teams also have coordinated with the Denver Police Department to optimize the timing of the traffic signal at the intersection of East 54th Avenue and Central Park Boulevard, at the entrance to NHS, during student arrival and departure hours. The changed timing allows more student walkers to cross the street and more families to drop off or pick up per light cycle.

Additionally, school security officers and staff are patrolling residential streets close to campus to monitor traffic and reduce loitering, Pribble said. DPS is in the process of reaching out to Northfield homeowners’ associations to share construction milestones and traffic notices through neighborhood newsletters.

The construction project is on track to be finished by next fall. Students are currently permitted to park on campus after 4pm for events and sports.

 This ongoing story will be updated with feedback from families and neighbors, as well as with information about DPS’ efforts to find a solution to the parking problem.