Trade Center Authority asks council to approve master plan for new parking garage; council seeks clearer numbers

The Columbus Trade Center Authority asked the City Council on March 25 to adopt a master plan that would add a new structured parking facility intended to support the Trade Center, future convention activity and downtown hotels.

"Parking has been something that has been on the Trade Center plan since 02/2004," Trade Center Director Haley Tillery told the council, summarizing a multi‑year effort and saying the authority has an RFP vendor selected to start detailed discussions. "The key thing is a plan for the future. But one thing that's desperately needed is accurate parking," Tillery said.

Why it matters: The proposal ties downtown economic development to additional parking capacity and to a potential future convention hotel. The authority is asking council to endorse the master plan so it can negotiate final costs and next steps. The plan would use $3.5 million from a 2003 Columbus Building Authority bond series (described in the…