[SBC] Parking/land use question

[alanjane at peoplepc.com]

I really have no idea. Unfortunately, it sounds like a good idea but one 
that would be hard to convince the Alderman and businesses. To me, your 
suggestions can be combined by requiring the parking (in a new or 
reconstructing parcel) to put (at least some of) the parking on the side or 
rear.

Alan
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlie Denison" <cdenison at comcast.net>
To: "sbc members" <sbc at lists.bostoncoop.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 2:57 PM
Subject: [SBC] Parking/land use question


> Hey everyone,
>
> Does anyone know if the city has any sort of program or policy to
> encourage or allow business owners and landlords to remove parking in
> front of stores and convert it to spaces for people?  For example,
> Somerville Ave has many small "strip mall" type developments with small
> ugly parking lots in front.  There is great potential to reclaim at
> least some of that space for outdoor cafes, more trees and places to
> sit, bike parking, etc.  Just today I bought a coffee and wanted to sit
> outside but there was no place to do so because all the space was taken
> up by parking.  With the Somerville Ave reconstruction also taking
> place, it would be nice of at least some of these businesses remove the
> parking in front and make the area more "people-friendly".  I realize
> removing parking is always controversial, but this type of parking
> really is a poor use of very valuable space.
>
> Related question:  I would think that for "new" development, the city
> would encourage or require parking to be located in the rear of a
> building (or to the side), not in front.  Is this indeed the case?
>
> Charlie
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