COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Residents and visitors in and around German Village are beginning to see new parking signs in the neighborhood, part of the city of Columbus’ new permit parking program, which is being carried out in six phases over the next year, with phase one kicking off this month.
Residents will now be able to park in a spot for three hours from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.; residents will have to purchase $25 annual residential parking permits. The city of Columbus began installing the signs for phase one in April. The permit application for those residents and businesses began in May. Warning tickets have been issued since they went up, with enforcement beginning this week.
According to the city, parking will be enforced through license plate recognition, making enforcement more efficient for officers. With the Haus and Garten Tour expected to bring thousands this weekend, the German Village Society and residents are concerned it’ll discourage people from visiting businesses in the area, and the new signage will take away from the neighborhood’s charm.
“Aside from the number of spaces potentially being lost, there’s also concerns about the aesthetics of the sign not really aligning with the historic district, with what the German Village Commission may want to see architecturally, in an exterior sense,” Courtney Thraen, executive director of the German Village Society, said.
This is the fifth largest parking plan in the city, following behind other areas that have implemented similar plans like the Short North and University District. Some residents have already been living with permit parking for years, but this is new to many as many homes within German Village are outside the permit zone.
“The social nature of the community lends itself to a lot of gatherings and need for people to have, you know, a place to park, and with Haus and Garten Tour coming up, I think the number one question we’re getting is where do I park,” Thraen said.
This map outlines the German Village permit parking by phase. The zone also extends south into the northern part of Merion Village.
“I have to sign up for guest passes now,” German Village resident Remington Lyman said. “There’s always concerns about drinking and driving because instead of leaving their car at the park overnight, now they’re going to have to figure out how to get their car back, so just encouraging my guests to use Uber and Lyft.”
In addition to the three-hour parking limit, the German Village Society said it’s worried about a reduction in parking spots.
“Losing one parking spot, you know, can really affect our economic mobility, how we support the city of Columbus through sales tax, through other property taxes, when we really need people to be here in our mixed-use environment to support our mission in tourism and historic preservation,” Thraen said.
According to Columbus’ Parking Operations Coordinator Amanda Ford, most concerns they heard from residents over their two years of planning were traffic-related. With the amount of foot traffic that German Village gets, she said the permit parking program all comes down to safety.
“I realize that parking is such a sensitive issue in German Village, but safety really does come first,” Ford said. “So sometimes the standard corner clearances that are required by code, sometimes we need to take things a little further than that just because of things that drivers can’t see when they’re coming around corners.”
Each business is eligible for up to 10 parking permits for its employees. Lindey’s is a restaurant that’s been a staple in the area for the last 44 years. Its main concern is finding parking for more than 150 employees. Remington Lyman, a German Village business and homeowner, has similar worries.
“Next year we’re going to be pushed all the way back so the 36 agents that I have working here are going to have to park on Parsons or move over to Southern Orchards and there’s simply not enough parking, so I don’t really know what we’re going to do,” Lyman said.
Ford said the goal isn’t to hurt businesses; it’s to create turnover.
“If cars are parked on the street all day, every day with no movement, there’s not a lot of off-street opportunities in the German Village, so the businesses actually need that turnover instead of cars parking for all day on the street for them to be successful,” Ford said.
Signage for phase three is already going up. While the city isn’t actively enforcing the three-hour time limit in that area yet, residents are urged to familiarize themselves with the parking requirements.
For more information on permits and how to apply for one, click this link. Residents can also visit the German Village Visitor Center for information and materials on the different phases.
