Keep in mind that when I was out on W Broad, few cars were using the meters (empty storefronts), while in Clintonville you have plenty of cars parked for free (occupied storefronts) I'm confused.

Good observation.

I just find it odd. Here you have a successful corridor where people have places to park with no meters to pay for (or tickets) and then you have a half empty business district struggling to add more reasons to go and park there other than a very limited selection of businesses mostly offering the same thing (carryouts and barbershops).I'm for metered parking, but it needs to be done across the board and successful business districts should be prioritized first to help ensure a steady flow customers instead of someone leaving their car there all day in the same spot and not even have to pay the privilege of parking on a piece of land that is not free on top of that.

 

This makes me wonder about what other abandoned business districts might now have metered parking for the few places currently open.

Yeah, I haven't even thought of that until you mentioned it and I doubt neighborhood organizations even pick up on that disparity since you would have to be very attuned to the differences of each NBD. Where exactly does the money from meters go? I really hope that any money collected from parking in the Hilltop gets appropriated directly to the Hilltop. That seems fair to me. I think the city does have a method to their madness but they do a terrable job explaining their reasoning for things publicly. 

I've suggested that the city adopt a policy of revenue generated going back into the neighborhood where it came from, but they flat out don't care to do that. Basically, it goes into a general fund for the city's "short-term and long-term goals". Here's couple of snippets form the city's Parking Meter Advisory Board document from 2010.

 

Metered Parking Purpose Statement

The City of Columbus installs, operates, and regulates metered parking on public streets and in public parking lots for the purpose of:

• Encouraging turnover of short-term spaces in support of business; and

• Ensuring safe and optimized parking on public roads and parking lots; and

• Recovering the cost of providing public services and promoting economic vitality.

(page 2)

 

The City has obligations in the near term to support the development of a convention hotel and to raise funds to replace the City’s aging meter fleet.

(page 20)

 

http://publicservice.columbus.gov/uploadedFiles/Public_Service/Transportation/Mobility/05122010_Final_Report-cg.pdf

 

Looks like what little revenue their meters generate won't go into streetscaping improvements for W Broad in Highland West, which the city itself had drafted for the neighborhood (and who is cited as the "client" for the 2006 plan), but instead of following through on these improvements five years later the city will just take money made in the neighborhood and use it to subsidize the Hilton hotel on High St. And to actually think that many "savvy" urban Columbus residents nonchalantly lump all blame on a neighborhood ("What do you expect? It's the Hilltop.", they'll say) while leaving no blame for the city government. Despite the real possibility of making this stretch of W Broad much more attractive for entrepreneurs with local meter revenue alone, I'm all but certain that the neighborhood will see somewhere in the vicinity of 0% of that revenue going back to the neighborhood.

 

I don't think it's a matter of good intentions with poor communication, but bad intentions for anywhere off of High St (reminds me of complaints I overheard from OTE business owners about the city's indifference towards them for not being on High or in the Short North, not to mention flat out displeasure from business owners on Main St Downtown) and poor communication is a bonus for their objectives. Like I've said, I brought the whole "neighborhood revenue stays in the neighborhood" parking meter idea to their attention and they want the status quo (what a surprise) so that they can spend it on whatever they want, not what Columbus residents want. But, I digress.

 

All of that aside, there's still much less money to take from people parking in the Hilltop vs. Clintonville to place towards the general fund and Hilton hotel. If you're going to be that publicly underhanded about what you're doing with the meter revenue by taking it from blighted neighborhoods that need any improvements they can get and funneling it to a private developer Downtown that wants a financial incentive to build, at least do it right and know where the highest concentrations of un-metered on-street parking are located.

Well that's b.s.

How much money are we realistically talking here?  I live in that neighborhood and it's pretty uncommon to see many cars parked at any of the meters, so I can't imagine the city is making much off of them to begin with.  I do agree, though, that any money made there should be reinvested back into the neighborhood.  I also agree it doesn't make much sense for meter placement.