A BRA effort to help condo developers out by letting them change their projects into apartments could mean even more parking woes on overcrowded streets in neighborhoods such as South Boston, City Councilor Bill Linehan (South Boston, South End) says.
Linehan says the BRA is letting developers who already have city approval to build condos turn them into apartment - and cut the amount of parking they have to provide from one space per unit to as little as 0.5 spaces per unit. The move saves the developers money, but the assumption that apartment dwellers are less likely to own a car doesn't seem to make sense anymore, he says. With less off street parking, the new residents will likely turn to the street, he says
Linehan told fellow councilors yesterday the BRA has resisted his attempts to get information on the on the change, so he asked for permission to hold a formal hearing into the practice, which was granted. He'll call for representatives of both the BRA and the Boston Transportation Department to attend.
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Comments
With the unrealistic
By anon²
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 12:56pm
With the unrealistic expectation that people are going to spend $2000/month+ in rents; most of these apartments are probably going to need multiple parking places.
Parking requirements are all inane.
By anon
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 2:15pm
It's probably true that condo owners and apartment renters own cars at similar rates. But the parking allocation should be decided by the market, not by neighborhood activists scared of too many cars looking for street parking (especially since - guess what? - fewer parking spaces will likely mean fewer cars on the road)...
In fact, it's highly likely that the market would decide, given the wealth of public transportation options and the walking density of the city, that one spot per unit isn't required. As you can see, that's what developers ARE deciding. So why should they be forced to provide MORE parking than necessary, thereby putting more cars on the road?
If anything, there should be a parking maximum associated with new developments, or at least an above-grade parking maximum.
Minimum parking requirements are relics
By a non-parker
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 2:15pm
Related: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinio...
Agreed
By johnmcboston
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 12:46pm
You want a place to park a car? Head to the burbs and get all the driveway space you want.
You don't need to move to the suburbs
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 1:06pm
Lots of parts of Boston have houses with driveways (or at least ample street parking).
Ayup
By adamg
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 1:12pm
There's a lot more to Boston than the South End.
cause & effect?
By johnmcboston
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 1:42pm
But because many of the outer neighborhoods have driveways and plenty of parking, you often see a loss of local businesses. Since you have a car, why would you walk to a local business when you can drive somewhere else?
Face it, if you want to live car free, your options drop off severely once you leave the downtown core. Perhaps that's why I'm against forcing more and more parking in the inner core. It's the one place left where zero and 1 car households can make a good go of it...
We've bought all our major appliances...
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 1:51pm
... at a store in Roslindale.
We have 1 car for a family of 5 (now all adults -- officially). ;~}
Most of our day to day transportation is via MBTA (with a fair amount of walking thrown in). (About .75 mile from Roslindale Square -- with a .5 mile walk to the nearest bus when the #50 bus isn't running).
Similarly
By SwirlyGrrl
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 4:40pm
We have 1 car for two adults and two teens, and we have neighbors who are car free. I can see the back bay from my dining room, but it is actually 7 miles away.
I work in the downtown core and don't live there. It is actually MORE difficult downtown because there aren't many stores for everyday things - like food - within easy walking distance. Getting into and out of the T is a hassle in the older stations, too. Much easier to live without a car in residential areas of Boston (Roxbury, Dorchester, Brighton), Cambridge and Somerville and parts of Arlington, according to car-free people I know who live in those places.
You haven't been to the outer neighborhoods lately, have you?
By adamg
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 2:01pm
Yes, store flight was a major issue in the 1970s and 1980s. Roslindale Square used to have a movie theater, a bowling alley and two supermarkets. All disappeared when the Dedham Mall opened up, and from what I hear the square became the sort of place you didn't want to walk through alone at night.
But most of the "village centers" in the outer neighborhoods these days seem to be doing pretty well (and let's take a moment to praise the Main Streets programs, which started in Roslindale thanks to this guy named Menino).
Roslindale Square has a supermarket again (and a bread store, and a wine store and a cheese store and a couple of butcher shops). Heck, Roslindale even still has its own hardware store (granted, not right in the square, but the square does have Wallpaper City). You see similar activity in other neighborhoods, from Lower Mills to Brighton Center.
It is very possible to live in or near Roslindale Square without a car, thanks to frequent bus service along Washington Street to Forest Hills and commuter rail (there is more to the T than subways). In our case, no, not possible to live without a car, because we're about as close to nowhere as you can get in Roslindale, short of living in a tent in Stony Brook Reservation (the nearest store of any kind to us is about a mile away - and it's uphill both ways, really, and our local bus route, the 50, is not exactly a paragon of frequency).
You should be less...
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 2:15pm
...than a mile away from Rite Aid and Pleasant Cafe (.75 maybe). ;~}
Last time we measured
By adamg
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 3:25pm
It was about 0.9 mile to what used to be Dajajajajajajajo's (sorry, could never help myself with that name).
Funny, I can remember that old name too....
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 3:36pm
... but not the current name of that restaurant (which has already had a new name for several years).
Bani
By adamg
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 3:39pm
Which makes sense, since it's Dominican seafood and Bani is a Dominican fishing port.
Bani
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 3:49pm
I keep wondering whether the food there is interesting. We went once to the Dominican restaurant on the other end of Roslindale (where the Yucatan on Washington used to be) -- and it was pretty decent. Also finally went to Jazz Cafe to check out their Haitian fare. Verdict, okay -- but not as good as the food the Haitian ladies at our church make for parties. ;~}
Not a big seafood fan
By adamg
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 3:56pm
So I couldn't say. Have you been to Las Palmas down by Albano?
The one time I've been to Jazz Cafe, got something called "legume," which seemed to be some sort of chicken stew and was delicious. I need to get back there.
Jazz Cafe's Legume
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 4:47pm
My wife ordered this -- but they didn't have any left!
Have not been to Las Palmas -- what sort of place is it?
Las Palmas is Dominican (or
By HenryAlan
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 9:11am
Las Palmas is Dominican (or perhaps some other Hispanic/Caribbean fare). It is quite good, but I'd say a bit over priced for what it is. Everything is pre-made and waiting in steam trays -- lots of amazingly flavorful stewed and fried meats, along with the obligatory rice and beans, vegies, etc. It smells amazing from the outside, and as I live nearby, I am compelled to get food there every now and then, but I really think they are about 20% to high on price.
Bani
By Sock_Puppet
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 10:12am
Bani is a fairly poor city in the DR, but not as poor as cities further west, like Azua or Barahona. It's a mite less arid than places farther west, and greater proximity to the capital brings some money as rich people might have second homes there. Bani is not a tourist destination; most tourism happens in the east and north of the DR. The food in Bani is not particularly varied or interesting. There's fish, mostly small fish, mostly just fried, although you might find pescado con coco. Most of what people actually eat, like other poor places in the DR, is rice and beans and boiled green bananas and root vegetables. There's not really a regional cuisine per se.
Oh, you meant the restaurant. Never mind. You can be sure that the restaurant is named Bani because that's where the owner is from, not because the food in Bani is particularly noteworthy. A good portion of economic migrants from the DR are from the arid southwest. Anyway, the menu is online. It looks like a good sampling of Dominican food. If I were going to eat there today I'd get empanadas, sancocho, and of pescado con coco. And of course get a batida. Papaya con leche is my favorite.
It's very easy to minimize
By HenryAlan
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 9:07am
It's very easy to minimize car use in some of the outer boroughs. I live in Roslindale, do most of my shopping in Roslindale, and use the 'T or my bike for commuting to work. And yes, there is enough space to park a car in front of my house. Not everybody who lives where they can park a car necessarily builds their life around having one. That said, I agree that we should not require parking for every new housing unit. The market is a far better decision maker on something like this.
:)
By johnmcboston
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 1:26pm
Those parts are the burbs :)
Transient population =
By anon
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 2:20pm
Transient population = younger demographic = less likely to own a car and more open to public transportation?
Perhaps people would be less likely to rent an apartment without available parking leaving those apartments for carless living.
Developers should not be required to provide any parking at all
By Ron Newman
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 2:35pm
in dense, transit-rich neighborhoods like the South End. Omitting parking will make the condos or apartments more affordable, because it will cost less to develop them. Let the market decide whether it makes sense to develop apartment or condo complexes with little or no parking.
I know we're all wicked familiar
By andrewjh
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 2:53pm
...with our city's arcane system of boards, authorities, and councils, but would it hurt to spell out "Boston Redevelopment Authority" just once in the post? Unexplained acronyms make me all "wtf?"
Good point
By adamg
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 3:12pm
I should probably ID it as "Boston Redevelopment Authority" on the first reference, at least.
I don't think the World
By Jeff F
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 3:14pm
I don't think the [url=http://www.wtf.org]World Taekwondo Federation[/url] has anything to do with parking spaces outside Boston condos.
yeah....that's what they want
By anon
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 3:49pm
yeah....that's what they want you to think....!!!!!!
This is a local blog/news site
By Kaz
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 4:15pm
Don't you mean Wakefield Track and Field?
BRA
By anon
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 5:14pm
The councilor should hold a hearing to abolish the BRA, nothing but an agency that developer's throw cash at.
I think you have that backwards
By Kaz
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 6:11pm
Usually you throw the cash AFTER they go BRA-less.
BRA...
By John-W
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 8:03pm
Well it is full of boobs, you stuff cash into it and it can sure hold things up...quite an apt acronym after all.
You stuff cash into it??
By Kaz
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 12:15am
Does your W stand for Wilkerson?
As far as I know, this has
By HenryAlan
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 10:05am
As far as I know, this has only happened in one instance, so Linehan is being a bit overly dramatic. Aside from that, I agree with everybody else -- the market should determine parking need. The city's involvement should at most apply to ceilings rather than floors.