Ohio City attracts over three million visitors per year and has several thriving anchor institutions. Its population grew from 2000 to 2010 and the neighborhood has added 35-plus new businesses and 300 jobs in recent years.

All of this sounds pretty good, yet popularity inevitably comes with a price. This near west side neighborhood is now suffering the growing pains of any successful urban neighborhood that must balance the needs of residents, workers and visitors. In short, it's got a parking problem.

To address this problem, Ohio City is adopting a Multimodal Transportation Plan that places an emphasis on traffic calming, bike lanes, pedestrian friendly streets and public transportation. In acknowledgement of the fact that most of the area's visitors still arrive by car, the plan also offers remedies for the parking crunch.

The plan includes an emphasis on Complete Streets (bike lanes and traffic calming for pedestrians); transit oriented development (potential mixed-use housing adjacent to the West 25th rapid station); a comprehensive wayfinding system; parking solutions that include valet parking for visitors and employees, plus consolidation and paid parking in the West Side Market lot; a future structured parking garage; residential permit parking; and additional parking meters.

West Side Market tenants have expressed concerns about the notion of charging for parking in the market lot, yet Ohio City Inc. leaders are pushing for it. Free parking would be available in 90 minute increments for market shoppers. Right now, some people park in the market lot even when they aren't shopping there.

"The goal of the Plan is to provide as many transportation options as possible so that the community is not too dependent on surface parking as the only option for visitors," the plan states. "Increasing access to safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure will increase the number of trips to Ohio City by foot or by bike."

Discussions are ongoing, and vendors are pushing for two hours of free parking (the city prefers 90 minutes). The city would like to see the new parking system in place by spring of next year, but the vendors have the power to block the deal.

"We believe the plan provides smart solutions to eliminating parking congestion and will lead to a more easily navigable and safer neighborhood for all of our visitors," says Eric Wobser, Executive Director of Ohio City Inc. He adds that he hopes that an agreement with vendors will be hammered out this month.

Source: Ohio City Inc.
Writer: Lee Chilcote