Jewelry store owner says CSU's Frank Brown Hall is hurting business

As hundreds of students and faculty continue settling into their new home in Frank D. Brown Hall, one Broadway business owner says that the increased activity has led to an unfortunate problem- a lack of parking for his customers.

"I came out here one day and counted 17 cars parked on Broadway with CSU student parking stickers on them. Three others were faculty. That was just here on the 1100 block," said Jimmy Wire, owner of Jimmy's Jewelers, which has been in business since 1984.

Wire says that one customer trying to pick up a simple repair had to circle the block twice to find parking. Eventually, the customer gave up, parked briefly in a handicapped spot, and was hit with a fine.

"[Students and faculty] can come park in the parking garage, or their own parking lot, or they can get shuttled in. But that isn't happening," Wire said. He has since posted a notice on the store window telling students and faculty not to park on the street.

The 90,000-square-foot, $27 million Frank D. Brown Hall opened early this semester as the new home for the university’s education and nursing programs. It was previously the headquarters of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

The university has routinely encouraged students and faculty not to park on the street. "To get to Brown Hall from main campus, please take advantage of the CSU shuttle, running from main campus to RiverPark campus on a regular basis. If you do drive, please park in the RiverCenter parking deck, which is now free, or on the top three floors of the Front Avenue parking garage, which are reserved for CSU. Please avoid taking up spaces on the streets downtown," said President Chris Markwood earlier this year. "Anyone parking on the street is subject to city enforcement rules and fines."