New downtown rules apply from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The Town of Columbus has reinstated its two-hour parking rule on the block between Peak and Blanton Streets and extended it to both sides of Mills Street.
Columbus Town Council met Thursday, Nov. 17 and approved the new provisions.
The hours of the parking restriction will be between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to allow residents who live downtown to park in the evenings.
Columbus Town Manager Jonathan Kanipe said the new parking signs should be ordered by this week and he hopes to have the signs by Dec. 1.
The Town of Columbus has been faced with downtown parking issues for years, with businesses saying their customers have problems finding convenient spaces during peak hours. The town has asked businesses to park vehicles in other areas, such as in front of Stearns, to help alleviate the problems.
Council last month met with Calvert’s owner Randall Calvert, who said the parking problems still exist.
The town sent parking regulations to its planning board and had a meeting of downtown businesses, all of whom seemed to agree the short-term solution is parking restrictions.
Columbus already had an ordinance for two-hour parking on the south side of Mills Street between Peak and Blanton Streets. When sidewalks were installed a few years ago, the parking signs were taken down and never replaced.
Council approved reinstating the ordinance with the time limitation of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the south side between Peak and Blanton Streets and adding the same restriction on the north side, between Peak Street and where the parking spaces end.