CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council voted on Wednesday to ban new surface parking lots downtown.
The vote comes just a day after the Equitable Growth & Housing Committee approved the ban, which was first introduced by council member Mark Jeffreys.
What this means for Cincinnati parking
The new ban, which goes into effect immediately, applies to the "Downtown Development Zoning District," which is made up of parts of Over-the-Rhine, Pendleton, Mount Adams, East End, West end and Mount Auburn.
New surface lots were already banned in "Subdistrict W," which makes up the Central Business District, and now they are banned in the rest of the zone.
Why was the ban proposed?
Currently, there are more than 40,000 parking spaces downtown, 13% of which are surface parking lots. A report from the city says 20% of the total spots in downtown sit empty at any given time.
"This shows there's an oversupply of parking, and we can reasonably expect that there will be enough to accommodate future growth," said city planner Maria Dienger.
The Equitable Growth & Housing Committee also found that surface lots have multiple environmental impacts as well, including urban heat islands, lower air quality, stormwater runoff issues and they enable vehicle-oriented lifestyle choices. They also found they create dead-zones for pedestrians.
Are there any exceptions?
The ordinance does allow new surface lots to be built and operated for up to two years, with the option of extension pending city approval. Two-year extensions can be proposed in Subdistricts W and X, while a five-year extension can be proposed in Subdistricts Y and Z.
These temporary lots would have strict guidelines, such as using heat reflective material or permeable pavers instead of traditional asphalt. Interim lots would also have to add landscaping and design requirements, such as more trees per parking spaces.
Utilizing Transit
Devon Herzig parks at the Banks and works downtown. He said while there's enough parking overall, he'd like to see more affordable options close to his office in Fountain Square.
The city's report found the average price per space based on all spaces downtown was $126.63 per month.
Jeffreys acknowledged that the reality of adequate parking downtown doesn't always match perception: "There are ways that we can make people more aware of options that are out there," he said.
Options like the streetcar, Jeffreys said, which is located within walking distance from several surface lots and garages.
"We need to make people more aware of the options to take transit downtown," he said.
A Working Example
Jeffreys pointed to 1010 Walnut Street, which houses the downtown Kroger, as an example of a former surface parking lot that became a 'win' for the city and the neighborhood:
The building used to be a surface parking lot of 160 units. Now, it's over 200 parking spaces, nearly 200 resident apartments, plus the grocery store.
"We are at least $200,000 in earnings tax from that," he said.
The parking garage isn't as apparent from the street as a surface parking lot. That's ok with Vanessa Neil, who works downtown. She said the garages are marked well.
"There’s a ton of parking garages that you can utilize when you’re down here," she said.
