Parking in the Short North has long been tight, with residents and businesses saying it's gotten worse in the last five years. Regulations governing parking haven't been altered since 1980. The city is in the midst of crafting a slew of changes to try and improve the situation, and City Council last night approved one of those changes. Council approved the creation of a special parking area, allowing officials to write zoning codes that include a fee for developers who fail to create the number of parking spaces required by law. The fees would be 20 thousand dollars per residential space and 10 thousand for other spaces. Art galleries, single-family homes and retail spaces up to 25 hundred square feet are exempted. Officials say the revenue generated will be spent on supporting transportation initiatives in the area, with a focus on alternative forms. The legislation has drawn opposition from several Short North residents, including Patrick Jones, Cleve Johnson and Judy Mosley.
But area businesses represented by the Short North Alliance support the legislation. And the Short North Civic Association is on board. Association president Jeff Smith says it brings some clarity to the situation.
The special parking area is bounded roughly by Fifth Avenue, North 4th Street, I-670 and Neil Avenue. The city is working on other rules that will make changes to residential parking, based on recommendations made in a parking study completed in 2015. The city plans to hold a series of public hearings in the coming weeks to get input on the changes that are in draft form.
