Tom Dell
Columbus City Council has approved new boundaries for the jurisdiction of the city’s downtown parking commission.
The council passed the second reading of an ordinance revising municipal code on Tuesday.
The Columbus Parking Commission has no decision-making authority of its own and instead makes recommendations to other city bodies on subjects pertaining to parking in downtown Columbus.
City Councilman and Commission Chairman Tom Dell said at a previous meeting that the request to council was the result of a conversation with some individuals outside of their current jurisdiction.
“We found ourselves discussing things that were outside the jurisdiction boundaries that were specified in the ordinance,” said Executive Director of Public Works Dave Hayward. “Specifically, the ordinance goes up to Seventh Street, and we were working in the 800 block, or 700 to 800, and realized that we couldn’t take any action and recommend anything in that area.”
Prior to the change by city council, city code defined the downtown parking area, as it pertained to the commission’s activities, as “the area bordered by Brown Street to the west, Seventh Street to the north, Sycamore Street to the east and First Street to the south.”
The approved ordinance amends the section to align the downtown parking area with an area referred to as the “Downtown Business Corridor” in another section of city code.
According to a map provided by city officials, this corridor is bordered by Eighth Street to the north, First Street to the south and Lafayette Avenue to the east, which is a slight reduction from Sycamore. On the west side, the corridor is bordered by Lindsey Street from First to Fifth, then Jackson from Fifth to Eighth.
