Parking plan starting to take shape
Long-awaited changes designed to relieve parking pressure in the Short North area still are months away, but the city has started rolling out specifics about its solution.
The city is vetting its plan to divide streets in the Short North and surrounding neighborhoods into residential permit zones, require paid onstreet parking in the core of the district and change the way drivers pay to park.
The plan is still a draft that will take months to finalize, but it is the first concrete proposal the city has assembled to address problems since a consultant finished a parking study in 2015.
The first of several public hearings about the plan is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 90 W. Broad St. Officials said the draft likely will change as input is gathered.
“Right now, we have these different parking zones with different restrictions and we’re not sharing the burden of parking in the Short North,” said Councilman Shannon G. Hardin, who is hosting the hearing.
The biggest change would simplify the popular district’s confusing parking regulations, which can change by the street and time of day.
Every street in the Short North area except High Street and some roads around Goodale Park would fall under one of eight districts where residents could buy parking permits. Each household would be eligible for two $50 permits. They also could buy visitor permits.
Streets in the district’s core — from Dennison Avenue to Summit Street between King Avenue and Goodale Street — would require drivers without permits to pay to park, even where meters aren’t present. The city would have to come up with a way for drivers to pay, likely by posting kiosks in the neighborhood or by using a smartphone app. A citywide parking meter upgrade finished last year makes it possible for the city to let drivers use smartphones to pay for more time.
Parking rates would change based on the time of day, becoming more expensive in the evening and on weekends when there is more traffic in the district’s bars, restaurants and galleries.
Prices would be higher than the district’s parking garages to encourage people to park there first, said Amanda Ford, the city’s parking czar. Source: Columbus Department of Public Service, maps4news. com/© HERE
The city plans to run the new rules as a pilot for about two years before making changes permanent. Ford said it could start in early 2018, but changes will take months to implement.
Under the draft, permit parking restrictions on most residential streets would not be in place 24 hours a day. Only the zone in the district’s northwest corner would have constant restriction because of its proximity to Ohio State University, Ford said.
Residents have asked for all-day restrictions, but Ford said making so many streets untouchable is “not really an option.”
“It’s going to take compromise from the city, businesses and neighborhoods to make this work,” Ford said.
A portion of parking revenue in the district would be used to support programs in the area. GATEHOUSE MEDIA
That could include subsidizing parking, bus passes or alternate transportation for people who work in the area.
Ford said enforcement will be key during the pilot. The city is planning to outfit two vehicles with license plate readers. Parking officers will troll the streets in those vehicles, which can tap into a database to check for permits and digitally mark tires to make sure cars move when they’re required.
Council will vote on the special parking zone March 27, but no vote is scheduled for the residential changes.
“There is not a rush. We’re getting this first piece implemented,” Hardin said. “We’ll work through the spring and summer on this second piece and see where we land.”