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Boston: changes to parking requirements for new development


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#1 gdvanc

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Posted 06 July 2013 - 10:21 AM

On an economics blog I occasionally scan I noticed a blurb about changes to parking requirements for new development in Boston and surrounding communities.

 

The blog entry was brief, but contained a link to this article from the Boston Globe and also the blog author's opinion piece in the NYT about free parking in general.

 

 

 

Although the idea is to encourage transit, some comments to the article suggest that not all area residents feel local transit is currently a good solution (raising questions about reliability and hours of operation). Some also point out that climate makes the city not entirely bike and pedestrian-friendly for a portion of the year. I'm guessing at least late December or early January.

 

 

One thing I find interesting about this is how some on the right seem torn between seeing this as a welcome change to free market principles or a liberal push for a car-free progressive Utopia, while some on the left can't decide whether it's a green initiative or a move to increase profits for greedy developers. This makes this a fairly unique opportunity for us to reach across the aisle and strongly support (or fight) such change together, for different reasons.

 

 

 



#2 Funkutown Retro Retro

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Posted 06 July 2013 - 11:54 AM

Yawn!!!!

#3 Dylan

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Posted 06 July 2013 - 10:07 PM

So where are people with cars supposed to park them?


-Dylan


#4 gdvanc

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Posted 06 July 2013 - 10:37 PM

Supporters feel that more people are moving to the city who are less interested in living a car-dependent lifestyle - so the question of where they will park is moot. They point to the statistics that show a decline in auto registrations in the city while the population has increased. They see existing regulations as out-of-date given changing demographics and feel that more flexibility in the existing requirements is called for in some cases.

 

Opponents feel that developers will supply fewer spaces per housing unit but that there is no guarantee that the units will be sold/rented to people who don't own cars and they will end up parking on neighboring streets, exacerbating existing problems. They feel that people cannot rely on transit (due to reliability issues and hours of operation) or walking/biking (due to uncomfortably cool weather for part of the year) to allow for a car-free lifestyle.

 

I'm pretty sure both sides are right.






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