The biggest parking change that the Short North has ever seen is coming January 22nd, 2019.
There’s no way around it: parking in the Short North is not going to be the same and it’s going to take some major getting used to. Not too long ago, Lykens Companies wrote up everything you need to know about these Short North parking changes, but now we have other news on the subject.
To make the Short North’s transition to the new system easier, the City of Columbus has teamed up with ParkMobile, a tech company that specializes in helping big cities fix their parking problems. To date, ParkMobile has worked with Philadelphia, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and so many more massive cities. This company is proven and trusted when it comes to helping cities park smarter. Columbus is next in line.
ParkMobile helps millions of people easily find and pay for parking right on their phones. Pay for street and garage parking with just a swipe on a phone. Adjust your duration, avoid tickets, and so much more. To learn more about ParkMobile and their achievements, read here.
If you’re hesitant about ParkMobile coming into our city, here’s something that might help ease your worries—they’re already here. ParkMobile already takes parking reservations at Nationwide Arena, the Ohio Expo Center, and, of course, The Ohio State University.
Where Columbus Fits In
ParkMobile and Columbus have teamed up to create ParkColumbus, an app that’s available for both iPhone and Android devices. Short North visitors will notice new stickers on nearly 600 meters around the city.
To pay for parking, enter the zone posted on the sticker, choose the duration of your parking stay, and touch the “Start Parking” button.
By late 2019, Columbus hopes to expand ParkColumbus to all 4,500 meters in the city. Yes, all 4,500.
Want more information? Watch this video detailing the new change.
What People Are Saying
In recent press releases, Robert Ferrin, Assistant Director for Parking Services with the City of Columbus, and Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile, spoke about Columbus and the introduction of ParkColumbus.
“As a smart city, Columbus is always looking for innovative ways to alleviate traffic congestion and improve the parking experience,” said Ferrin. “This new ParkColumbus app gives people an easy way to pay so they can skip the meter and instead pay with their phone.”
“We are excited to partner with the City of Columbus,” said Ziglar. “We already have a large and growing base of ParkMobile users around Ohio. This expansion into Columbus offers more smart parking options for people as they travel around the state.”
We hope these are accurate predictions. Columbus, for as big as it is, does a great job keeping traffic congestion relatively low. Hopefully ParkColumbus is just another tool to help maintain that great piece of the city.
The Good Stuff
ParkColumbus is going to make paying for parking easier. No more standing in lines to type your license plate into a slow machine. It’s the same service—just from your phone.
Better yet, there won’t be anymore running back to the meter to pay. From your phone, you’ll be notified when your time is running low and, just like that, you can add more time without ever leaving your seat.
Whether you’re parking for an hour or a 24-hour block, all the Short North zones and options are available from your phone. Soon, they might be expanded to the other Columbus areas, too.
Get Ready
Whether you’re excited about the Short North’s parking changes or not, it’s time to prepare yourself for what’s coming in the new year.
Have questions? Need a detailed rundown of the changes to come? Then it’s time to read our complete guide to all of the changes coming to the Short North parking experience.
Now, a bit about Lykens Companies…
With 20 years (and counting) of experience, we believe that Lykens Companies is just getting started on its mission to offer Columbus hundreds of premier apartments, rentals, and renovations. Each day, we are driving toward constantly expanding and improving our business and bettering Columbus, the city we love. For our renters, that means that they are connected to a proven business that is always striving to be the best. Our success isn’t an accident. We are constantly striving to improve our quality, both in the buildings that we renovate, reimagine, and rent out; moreover, we are striving to improve in the way that our business operates. For you, that means the best units and the best service in the best locations.
As we invest our time, money, and energy into the Short North, Victorian Village, Italian Village, and other parts of Columbus’s urban core, it’s nothing short of amazing to step back and see how much we’re able to impact our city, whether that looks like renovating apartments, houses, or even factories like the Wonder Bread Lofts and the forthcoming Budd Dairy project: a full scale reimagining of an old dairy factory into a Cameron Mitchell food hall and state-of-the-art coworking space.
If you’re looking to rent in Columbus, Ohio’s urban core, you’ve come to the right place. We’re confident that it doesn’t get better than us when it comes to finding the absolute best apartments and rentals in Columbus.
See every availability!
Whether you’re looking for an apartment in the Short North, a rental in Victorian Village, a studio in Italian Village, or a loft in Wonder Bread, our Available Rentals page will feature all that (and more). We’re constantly adding our newest properties and highlighting that month’s leasing specials. Bookmark it and check often! What if you took two minutes to browse it right now? And don’t forget about our awesome Instagram for updates, new leases, and beautiful photos.
Already a resident? Refer a friend!
At Lykens Companies, we offer a simple and easy referral program to our tenants (and even non-tenants). For each referral of yours who signs a lease, we’ll pay you $200! Be sure to learn everything about this awesome plan and even check out our three methods to actually get your friends to sign a lease.
