City staff outline changes to Special Parking Area rules, propose parking impact study and scaled management fees

Justin Goodwin, administrator for the Division of Mobility and Parking Services, presented proposed administrative changes to how the city applies Special Parking Area (SPA) rules in East Franklinton and the Short North and how those rules will coordinate with the city’s Zone in zoning updates.

Goodwin explained that past SPA rules set a fee‑in‑lieu of $15,000 per space in East Franklinton (and $20,000 in the Short North) but that no fees had been collected in East Franklinton to date because recent projects have elected to provide required parking. He said new trends — smaller adaptive‑reuse projects and the upcoming Zone in phase that changes some SPA boundaries — require a more flexible, consistent administrative process.

City staff proposed consolidating SPA procedures with the city’s recently adopted parking impact study rules tied to Zone in. The parking impact study would bring Mobility & Parking and planning staff earlier into site plan review, require objective occupancy surveys where triggers apply, and offer a wider array of mitigations for projects that exceed impact thresholds. Those mitigations could include transit or rideshare passes for tenants, bike‑ or scooter‑share stations, on‑site car share, or, if necessary, a scaled parking management fee to cover operational costs for expanded enforcement and management.

Goodwin said the proposed parking management fee is more modest than the current flat fee in lieu: his team is modeling a roughly $5,000 per‑block operational fee calibrated to the city’s cost to expand parking management in a given area, rather than charging a flat $15,000 per missing space. He described the approach as a stop‑gap intended to create more predictable, consistent outcomes while the next phase of Zone in and related council actions are finalized.

Board members asked whether staff would pursue additional parking studies proactively, how the approach will affect long‑time residents who rely on on‑street parking, and whether community groups would be engaged. Goodwin said the process is intended to be more proactive and that staff can pursue targeted occupancy studies in areas likely to face pressure; he also said staff would welcome additional community input and could coordinate with neighborhood organizations and the Franklinton Board of Trade.

Goodwin said rule changes would be drafted administratively and cross‑referenced with the parking impact study rules; formal Zone in rezoning for a larger area remains a council action. He said staff expects to refine the draft rules this year and coordinate implementation with the Zone in schedule.