Redevelopment Commission considers parallel parking on Second Street

Rendering from American Structure Point Inc. A rendering of an on street parking redesign of Second Street in downtown Columbus, Indiana.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission is discussing the possibility of adding parallel parking along Second Street in downtown Columbus.

City-County Planning Director Jeff Bergman and Columbus City Engineer Dave Hayward talked about the possibility of adding the parking spaces during the commission’s meeting at Columbus City Hall on Monday.

Renderings provided by city officials show 41 potential parallel parking spots along the north side of Second Street running roughly between the Bartholomew County Veterans Memorial and the Taylor, an apartment complex with an urban grocer that currently under development between Lafayette and Sycamore streets.

The renderings also showed 27 parallel parking spaces on the south side of Second Street between Lafayette and Sycamore streets that city officials said were part of the downtown apartment-urban grocer project.

The commission, however, did not vote on any specific proposals related to Second Street parking.

“(The Envision Columbus plan) specifically identifies things like on-street parking and curb extensions (along Second Street),” Bergman said during the meeting. “…We think that there are a number of improvements that are most warranted and possible. As we look at those details, that certainly would include, or would probably be anchored by adding small street parking to Second Street.”

Currently, it is unclear if or when the parking would be added. City officials said during the meeting that the parking could be timed with a pavement reconstruction project on Second and Third Streets that the Indiana Department of Transportation plans to do within the next couple of years. Second and Third Streets are part of State Road 46.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.