Columbus Council removes event, daily parking fee from downtown deck

In a move to try to get those who frequent downtown to use the garage, Columbus Council on Tuesday removed the $2 parking fee charged to use the RiverCenter for Performing Arts garage.

“The RiverCenter deck is an asset that is not being used,” said Uptown Columbus Inc. President Richard Bishop, who requested council take the action. “What we propose is to try and change that behavioral habit on how people use that deck.”

District 7 Councilor Mimi Woodson, who represents downtown, made the motion to eliminate the fee. Council voted 7-0 to remove the fee. Councilors Pop Barnes, Glenn Davis and Gary Allen were not present at the time of the vote.

Bishop outlined downtown parking concerns as Columbus State University prepares to open its College of Education and Health Professions at the former Ledger-Enquirer site on the corner of 12^th Street and Broadway.

Bishop insisted that there is no parking shortage, pointing to spaces in the city-owned decks, including the one in the 900 block of Broadway in front of the RiverCenter.

“One of the things we know will happen is there will be concerns about parking,” Bishop said.

Columbus State is going to bring about 100 faculty and staff and more than 1,300 students into downtown. There will be a faculty and staff lot at the site. The students will park in on-street parking and the city decks. CSU controls about 300 spaces in the downtown RiverPark campus.

The primary focus of Bishop’s presentation to council was on getting people to think about the RiverCenter deck in a new way.

Bishop pointed out that about 32 cars a week pay the $2 fee to park in that deck during the day. That translates to about $3,330 annually. There is another $4,400 annually generated by event parking. The city also gets $22,663 annually from leasing about 90 spaces in the deck.

“We want to work with city staff to develop a marketing campaign that throws it out into the public,” Bishop said. “You cannot get a parking space at lunchtime or on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night in the 1000 block of Broadway. We have to start using these decks.”

Bishop proposes signage and use of social media to drive people into the decks.

Councilor Judy Thomas told a story of a recent lunch at The Loft in 1000 block of Broadway. Her friend asked where she parked, and Thomas told her the RiverCenter parking deck.

“She said, ‘Way down there,’” Thomas said. “I told her it was not way down there, it was only a block and a half. And I had to make sure when I left the restaurant, I had $2 in cash in order to get out. To waive this at this time is one of the things that will help in uptown.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Columbus Council removes event, daily parking fee from downtown deck."