Parking Shortage Tied to Convention Center Woes in Cleveland

Karen Farkas reports: "Finding a parking spot near the FirstMerit Convention Center is almost impossible on weekdays. And that is affecting bookings, officials said."

Convention officials are warning that the parking shortage will be exacerbated when a new hotel opens next to the convention center in June. Although "[n]o one has a short-term solution," according to Farkas, longer-term plans include "coordinated electronic parking displays that would show the number of spaces available in each garage and direct you to other locations."

According to Farkas, downtown developments aren’t required to build parking, and the new Hilton Cleveland Hotel, on-target to open before the Republican National Convention, is also being built without parking. Now, according to event planners, the convention center is at a competitive disadvantage due to a lack of parking.

Farkas also cites a 2014 report by Desman Associates predicting the parking shortages. "At that time county officials said they believed they could meet heavy weekday demand by introducing new gates and monitoring systems, adding a valet program, packing the Huntington garage more tightly and working with the city and other garage owners to manage any overflow." None of those options are currently under consideration, however, but a coordinated parking plan, similar to systems in place at Ohio State University and Easton Town Center, is under consideration for a long-term solution.