Balancing Parking Policy and Growth in Columbus
By Justin Goodwin, AICP, PTMP
How does parking policy align with the goals of a growing, multimodal city? And how can cities densify without overwhelming their parking systems? These questions have been central in Columbus, Ohio—the Midwest’s fastest-growing city.
2024 was pivotal. In November, Central Ohio voters approved a new transit sales tax to fund a Bus Rapid Transit system. Months earlier, Columbus City Council adopted Phase 1 of “Zone In,” a zoning overhaul creating new districts to spur housing and walkable, transit-oriented development. A major feature: eliminating minimum parking requirements in these new districts.
In recent years, cities like Minneapolis, Austin, and Denver have repealed parking minimums to support affordability and transit-oriented growth. Yet, as any parking professional knows, residents are often vocal about street parking access. Columbus was no exception.
In response, the City established a new Parking Impact Study process, giving the Division of Mobility and Parking Services authority to evaluate potential spillover from new developments. Studies document on-street occupancies, estimate demand, and determine whether mitigation is needed.
If impacts are modest, projects commit to Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures—such as subsidized transit passes, carshare, rideshare, or bike/scooter share—that reduce driving needs. Larger impacts trigger layered mitigations plus a parking management fee, designed to fund new permit zones or other operational tools to protect neighborhood parking access.
One year in, only a handful of projects have required studies, and none have yet triggered fees. Still, the policy is already considered a win. Columbus successfully removed parking barriers to new housing—an urgent priority for city leadership—while establishing safeguards to protect residents and manage curb demand.
The Columbus model may not fit every city, but its lesson is broader: parking concerns need not block goals around housing affordability or transit-oriented development. With creativity and community dialogue, parking can shift from being a barrier to becoming part of the solution.
Justin Goodwin, AICP, PTMP, is the Mobility and Parking Services Administrator for the City of Columbus. Justin can be reached at jmgoodwin@columbus.gov.