Columbus, Ohio USA
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Short North Growing Pains
April 2006
By John Angelo, Executive Director of the SNBA

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John Angelo
photo by Rob Colgan

Ever try telling an “outsider” how to find parking in the Short North? You start by suggesting a nearby lot, but if that’s not available you suggest a rarely used meter, and as backup, a distant alley and a hidden drive. Ever circle one of the parking lots only to miss the last space by a split second? Drive the side streets, looping back and forth, only to return home to park and walk the mile or so to your favorite restaurant? You are not alone.

The Short North is going through major growing pains: a result of years of redevelopment success. A tremendous resurgence in commercial and residential revitalization has made the Short North a must-visit destination. The media, the Convention Center, Experience Columbus, regional travel magazines and a host of others, tantalize visitors with lore of the area’s unique flavor and attractions. Great shops. Dynamite restaurants. Hopping galleries. And in greater and greater numbers, the visitors come. And with this success emerges a tighter and tighter squeeze on the area’s parking scene.

As new and welcomed businesses (think Northstar Café, Bodega, Camelot Cellars, and Surly Girl) carry the Arts District vibrancy northward along the strip, the parking challenges continue to mount. Fortunately, help is on the way.

In 2004, following a community summit spearheaded by the Short North Neighborhood Foundation (SNNF), the Short North Parking Task Force was born. It began a yearlong study of the issues, which focused on the High Street corridor from Smith Place to Goodale Street and from Pearl Alley to Wall Street. Representatives from a broad range of community organizations participated, including the SNNF, the Short North Business Association (SNBA), the Special Improvement District (SID), the Victorian Village Society and Commis-sion, the Italian Village Society and Commission, and the city. In November 2005, the Task Force published its not-so-surprising findings.

• Generally speaking, peak parking times are currently between 3pm and 9pm, Thursday-Saturday. The strip bustles at these times when more people are looking for entertainment, and restaurants and shops are in full swing.

• Parking challenges are currently more acute south of Price than north of Price. This is a factor of the attractiveness of redevelopment that has taken place to the south. Similar redevelopment is becoming more common to the north and will undoubtedly lead to greater demand in the near future.

• The Short North’s inventory of parking spaces has lagged behind increased development initiatives. With high profile residential and commercial projects already underway and more in the pipeline, the parking deficit will undoubtedly continue to grow universally.

• The total number of on-street spaces available in the Short North ranges from a low of 422 to a maximum of 533, depending upon time-of-day restrictions on uses. Four small city lots add another 183 spaces, for a total of 605 to 716 spaces, again, depending upon time of day.

• Parking requirements outlined by the City of Columbus Parking Code gener-ally recommend two parking spaces for every housing unit, one parking space for every 250 square feet of retail use, and one parking space for every 75 square feet of restaurant use. Applying this formula, the Short North would be over 3,000 spaces short. Since the District benefits from a substantial residential market within walking distance, the city tends to view it as an “Urban Commercial Overlay” District. As such, the parking formulas can be modified to reduce required commercial parking (versus, for example, that which would be applied to a distant, suburban strip mall). Using the standards in the Urban Commercial Overlay, the current deficit in the Short North drops dramatically to approximately 875 spaces.

• Of the 190 metered spaces along the High Street corridor, business employees frequently occupy 120 or more during peak traffic times, leaving customers to search for less convenient spaces.

A strong business corridor is vital to a healthy Short North. Thriving, energetic businesses bolster quality of life for residents. These destinations magnify the attractiveness of a great housing stock and provide the foundation of living in an arts, shopping and entertainment district. But thriving, energetic businesses need a steady flow of customers – many more than reside in the immediate vicinity. As more attractive businesses fill the available spaces, the overall quality of life notches up, the interest from customers notches up and so does the demand for parking. Of course, as visitors stop by more frequently and stay longer to experience more destinations, parking space turnover is also reduced, further elevating the need for more parking.

With all of this in mind, the Parking Task Force has recommended “fine-tuning” measures the Short North can take in the short term, and more significant measures for the long-term. In the short term:

• Increase current capacity through better space management. Applying consistent distance restrictions from block corners, uniform spaces between meters and strategic positioning of bus stops, taxi stands, loading zones and the like will help maximize the number of spaces available. The Task Force is beginning with a block-by-block analysis that will make specific recommendations on such details as common valet zones, bus stop locations and improved signage.

• Offer additional spaces through shared parking arrangements. Numerous businesses with private/public parking are closed during peak parking times, yet their lots go unused. Creative partnerships could yield incremental options for visitors.

• Examine meter locations and tailor meter enforcement times. Inconsistent meter enforcement times miss the objective of managing parking, confuse patrons, and leave the area vulnerable to parking abuses. Much of our parking challenges occur after 6:00 pm when many meters go “off duty.” Later enforcement hours would help cycle the spaces and discourage employees from using prime spots. Meters in the district vary in enforcement time with ending hours ranging from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Greater consistency would help reduce unexpected surprises. Meter durations vary from 30 minutes to 12 hours. Longer durations encourage non-visitors to park long-term and head to work downtown or to a concert or hockey game. Hours tailored for community use are critical.

• Work with the Arena District, the OSU Campus Gateway and COTA to utilize existing parking facilities to foster seamless connectivity between the neighborhoods.

• Educate customers about parking options. Develop maps and Web site information which explain parking options and aid visitors in making parking decisions before they arrive.

• Encourage local residents to walk or bike to Short North destinations. Create streetscape improvements to enhance the experience and install more bike racks to facilitate their effort.

• Find convenient, nearby parking for Short North business employees to help free-up parking for customers.

Though these short-term measures are genuine in intent, they only begin to address the substantial challenge the district faces. In the long run, a parking structure (or structures) is needed to address the large deficit in spaces.
A centrally located parking structure supporting upwards of 500 spaces could be designed to blend in with other High Street brick buildings. The structure could feature retail shops on the first floor and facade windows above to blend in with surrounding architecture. It would offer visitors an easy-to-find parking solution and it would reduce current congestion on the neighborhood streets.

Multiple parking structures could be strategically located along the High Street corridor to balance walking distances. Creative solutions, such as an attractive automated garage on a city lot could triple capacity while minimizing the scale of the project.

Additionally, a streetcar line passing through the Short North, connecting downtown with the OSU campus could be an integral part of the solution. This old-fashioned idea would offer ultimate in twenty-first century mobility to help reduce the number of cars actually coming into the district.

These long-term objectives may take two or more years to implement and will require the unified efforts of commercial, residential and city partners. Analysis, funding, site selection and acquisition, architectural plans, and actual development must all be navigated. It is a lengthy process, but the ball is rolling, and all involved know time is of the essence.

The relationship between the business district and the residential area is symbi-otic – the success of one is directly linked to the other. The Task Force’s mission is to address parking concerns upfront to allow for responsible growth while enhancing the surrounding neighborhoods. As the Short North continues to develop as a regional destination, we will continue to experience growing pains, but it will be well worth it as more and more amenities emerge just a few minutes walk from our front doors.

The November 2005 Short North Parking Study is available online at www.italianvillage.org. This article was prepared with the help of Dean Berlon, chairman of the Parking Task Force, using results outlined in the study.

©2006 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.