[Summit] Fw: Parking

Ann Durham annpolak at gmail.com
Tue May 9 14:26:40 UTC 2006 

Hi everyone. My husband is having issues posting his reply, so I'm sending
it for him. If you'd like to contact him, his e-mail address is
j_durham1463 at hotmail.com
********************************************************************

My two cents on the parking bit:

As Tom points out, parking on the street is a fact of urban life in almost
every other city but Providence for a number of good reasons:

The multifamily homes which promote the diversity that makes Summit what it
is can't provide enough parking on a postage stamp lot without resorting to
the ugly, environmentally disastrous practice of paving front and back lawns
(and I don't understand how can anyone who enjoys walking in the
neighborhood can be in favor of this...)

Parking on the street makes traffic slow down - When two cars drive down a
street with parking they simply can't go as fast - accomplishing the same
effect that was created by all those traffic calming bump outs for free.
.and as far as the safety issue - it works all day - why can't it work at
night????

Adequate parking (including street parking) is key to promoting increased
home ownership. If those "tenements" (as Tom calls them) don't have enough
parking they will forever remain lower rent and less well maintained.
Allowing on street parking would promote the conversion of more multifamily
homes into condos which provides more homeownership opportunities for first
time homebuyers - which is almost always a good thing for a residential
neighborhood in my opinion.

The idea that you own the street in front of your house is about the least
neighborly idea I have heard on this email list - If you don't like to look
at your neighbors ugly car, bump into them in the morning when your both on
your way to work, or give them the same ability to park a car or two outside
their house, then maybe its time to move to a suburb where everyone's house
and car look just like yours. I don't mean to sound harsh - but Providence
is a city - cities evolve and change over time - the laws that regulate them
have to keep up with the pace of change or else we will end up with
irreparable damage that we'll all look back at and regret.

- Jordan Durham



On 5/9/06, Ayni Strang <ayni_strang at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>  Hi All:
>
> Our condo association at 76-78 9th St was established in 1987.  We are
> currently owner occupied condos but over the past years that was not always
> the case.  We decided early on that keeping the back yard as a garden was
> important to the association regardless if a condo was owner occupied or
> tenant occupied.  Our driveway holds what it holds and typically it is 3
> cars.
>
> We have to be realistic about the community, most especially growth.  We
> need parking laws exactly like they have in Cambridge and Somerville.
> Permit parking, one side of the street parking which helps owners keep the
> community green.  The expansion of Providence as a place to live for those
> who work in Boston is here.
>
> We are those people.  My husband and I rented our condo for 14 of the 20
> years we have owned it, having moved to Seekonk.  We moved back into the
> condo in 2001 because we love the area.  We commute to Cambridge every
> day, and we see no reason not to cherish our Providence neighborhoods by
> having reasonable parking and keeping our areas green.  No need to get mean
> about the diversity in our neighborhood, which is the reason we want to live
> here.
>
> Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge is of similar size and in a similar
> neighborhood that we share with Miriam hospital. What helps those residents
> are the parking regulations.  It is fair, cost effective and a reasonable
> approach to city living.  Miriam is expanding which in turn will put more
> pressure on parking because more and more properties will become condo
> associations.  Just the way it is.
>
> Take care,
>  Ayni
>
>
> *Ann Polak <annpolak at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>  Paul,
> With all due respect, I was highly offended by your post this morning. You
> made some huge generalizations about people and the neighborhood. Who
> are "those people" you refer to? Are there a specific subset of people you
> don't feel are good enough to be your neighbor? As someone who has been
> faced with discrimination in my life, you comments raise an alarm in my head
> of coming close to hatred. I also don't understand how you can characterize
> all people outside of commited relationships as unable to be good neighbors
> who care about the space they live.
>
> I am all for an open discussion about the issues at hand, but I feel that
> we should remain aware of the statements we're making and try to refrain
> from overgeneralizations and discriminatory statements.
>
> Ann Durham
>
>
> On 5/9/06, Paul Aceto <pjaceto at cox.net> wrote:
> >
> >    I moved into this neighborhood 25 years ago to get away from THOSE
> > PEOPLE. I don't want to live next door to a constant succession of
> > transients. Roommates make the worst neighbors. I've been a live-in
> > landlord
> > for 25 years and I've learned that the hard way. The best tenants (and
> > neighbors) are committed couples, not roomates. Let those people live in
> >
> > some other neighborhood. I've put too much blood, sweat and money into
> > my
> > property to let someone moving in and ruin it for me.
> >
> > Paul
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Thomas Nosal" < milburtus at hotmail.com>
> > To: <catuck at cox.net>; <jessica.jenner at verizon.net>;
> > < Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
> > Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 9:37 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Summit] Parking
> >
> >
> > > Hi Anne,
> > > I apologize. In hindsight what i said wasnt all that neighborly..
> > however
> > > perhaps its because it doesnt seem like everyone in the summit
> > > neighborhood
> > > is being all that neighborly either, at least not to the less
> > fortunate.
> > > In
> > > a nutshell: those who can afford a house with ample parking are
> > welcome
> > > and
> > > those who have to settle for the tenement with only 2 spaces need to
> > get
> > > out.
> > >
> > > The status quo works for most of us in the summit neighborhood.  Most
> > > people
> > > have a $350,000 home with a two car garage and having to park on the
> > > street
> > > isnt an issue. However, here's a hypothetical situation: you just got
> > out
> > > of
> > > college and are looking to move into a nice, safe neigborhood. You
> > hear
> > > about the summit neighborhood, sounds great! An apartment on 8th
> > street
> > > will
> > > run you about $1200, which unfortunately might be a little too much
> > for
> > > someone still paying off college loans. The solution: find a roommate.
> > > With
> > > an extra person on board you can cover the rent but uh-oh; both of you
> > > have
> > > a car, 4 people who live upstairs each have a car, and the driveway
> > only
> > > fits 2 cars! It looks like someones gonna have to pay 15$ every night
> > to
> > > park on the street or move out...that sucks, the neighbors up the
> > block
> > > can
> > > afford a nice house with a two car garage, why cant you?
> > >
> > > Something's gotta give. If not overnight parking for all, then those
> > with
> > > a
> > > special case should be able to apply for an overnight parking sticker
> > if
> > > they meet certain requirements (no driveway, apartment doesnt have
> > space
> > > etc...)
> > >
> > > Concerning the lawn issue: I wish that people who complain about paved
> > > front
> > > lawns stopped to think that if the tenants of those buildings could
> > park
> > > on
> > > the street, there would be no need to pave nice landscaped yards (as
> > greg
> > > already pointed out).
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>From: "Chris and Michelle Tuck" <catuck at cox.net>
> > >>To: "Thomas Nosal"
> > >><milburtus at hotmail.com>,<jessica.jenner at verizon.net>,<Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> > >
> > >>Subject: Re: [Summit] Parking
> > >>Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 20:35:07 -0400
> > >>
> > >>No, it's "Move to Boston if you DO want cars on your street, stay in
> > >>Providence if you DON'T want cars on the street."  I like the rules
> > just
> > >>as
> > >>they are thank you very much.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>----- Original Message -----
> > >>From: "Thomas Nosal" <milburtus at hotmail.com >
> > >>To: <jessica.jenner at verizon.net>; <Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
> > >>Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 8:05 PM
> > >>Subject: Re: [Summit] Parking
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> >
> > >> > You live in a city, people have to park cars. move to coventry if
> > you
> > >>dont
> > >> > want cars on your street.
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > >From: "Jessica Jenner" <jessica.jenner at verizon.net>
> > >> > >Reply-To: jessica.jenner at verizon.net
> > >> > >To: "'Summit Neighborhood'" <Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
> > >> > >Subject: Re: [Summit] Parking
> > >> > >Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 17:18:21 -0400
> > >> > >
> > >> > >Wow.  We need to make this a big deal and get Kevin Jackson's
> > >>attention.
> > >> > >Regardless of one's personal opinion, if the building inspector
> > and
> > >>police
> > >> > >won't enforce the rules, that is a problem.  Jessica
> > >> > >
> > >> > >   _____
> > >> > >
> > >> > >From: Summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us
> > >> > >[mailto:Summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us] On Behalf Of Paul
> > Aceto
> > >> > >Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 3:29 PM
> > >> > >To: Summit Neighborhood
> > >> > >Subject: [Summit] Parking
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> > >     Some have mentioned parking in front yards, etc. Here are the
> >
> > >> > > city
> > >> > >ordinances that apply:
> > >> > >
> > >> > >Chapter 15 (Motor Vehicles), Article I, Section 15-11 c) and d):
> > >>Parking
> > >> > >is not allowed in the front of a building. You may not drive
> > across a
> > >> > >sidewalk to reach a parking area (unless there is a city-installed
> > >> > >curb-cut).
> > >> > >
> > >> > >Chapter 27, Article VII, Section 704.2 a) and c), Section 704.3:
> > You
> > >>can't
> > >> > >pave a front yard as a parking area. Only 50% of a rear yard may
> > be
> > >>paved
> > >> > >for parking. You can't park on an unpaved area.
> > >> > >
> > >> > >     I'm familiar with these ordinances because the out-of-state
> > >>landlord
> > >> > >next door to me paved his entire rear yard to provide parking for
> > >>students.
> > >> > >I had the building inspector out to see it and he agreed. He
> > refused
> > >> > >to
> > >>do
> > >> > >anything about it because he had "more important" things to do.
> > >> > >
> > >> > >     Note that 91 Fourth Street is being turned into condos. The
> > owner
> > >>dug
> > >> > >up
> > >> > >the grass in front of the house and replaced it with paving
> > stones.
> > >> > >The
> > >> > >contractors are using that area to park their trucks. Where do you
> >
> > >>think
> > >> > >the
> > >> > >new tenants are going to park? Why won't Kevin Jackson insist that
> > the
> > >> > >ordinances are upheld?
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > >_______________________________________________
> > >> > >Summit mailing list
> > >> > >Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> > >> >
> > >> >http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> > >> > >SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > _______________________________________________
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> > >> > Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> > >> >
> > http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> > >> > SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> > > SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
> > >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
>
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