[Summit] Buses/shuttles to Miriam

Sun Nov 7 16:47:48 UTC 2010

Monique,

Ask a specific question about the part of my ideas and reasons where  
you first could not follow and I will try to explain further.

 From Highland Avenue you could step directly onto the roof of a  
structure that is 3 stories high at North Main street.  You can have a  
garage and still have the view.  That roof would make a better  
playground or schoolyard or open space than the partly below grade  
area now occupied by parking.

As nice as the view from Highland Avenue is, stopping worthwhile  
projects on accessible sites if they will block part of a view means  
Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything Else.

I would not classify as "Open Space," precious or otherwise, a parking  
lot, especially one that is fenced shut when not in use.

On Nov 7, 2010, at 7:14 AM, Monique S Doherty wrote:

> Andrew,
>
> I could not follow all of your ideas and reasons. However, I would  
> be against a parking structure on Third and N. Main Streets. This is  
> precious "open space" which would impair one's view. It would be  
> like putting a parking structure on Summit, across from the hospital!
>
> Monique
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <summit-request at sna.providence.ri.us 
> >
> To: <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
> Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2010 12:00 PM
> Subject: Summit Digest, Vol 68, Issue 13
>
>
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>>  1. Re: Busses/ shuttles to Miriam. (Andrew Nosal)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2010 12:41:24 -0400
>> From: Andrew Nosal <andy at mapcenter.com>
>> To: Summit Neighborhood <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>> Subject: Re: [Summit] Busses/ shuttles to Miriam.
>> Message-ID: <F6FAD106-7DDB-4604-933A-A1B639ED72C6 at mapcenter.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
>>
>>>
>>> Miriam's use of the Sears parking area and other North Main Street
>>> parking areas seems to be obstructing development of North Main  
>>> Street
>>
>>
>> Thank you for putting that so well.  Many issues are connected to  
>> this.
>>
>> "Free employee parking" is not free.  Parking facilities and shuttle
>> buses cost money. I would like to know if Miriam collects this cost
>> from the employees who actually do park or does it provide equivalent
>> cash (adjusted to reflect the fact that the parking benefit is
>> untaxed) to employees who do not?  To the cost of "free" parking must
>> be added the externalized costs of blight and lost opportunities  
>> along
>> North Main Street.
>>
>> Long ago, hospital employees parked on nearby streets, making it
>> difficult for anyone else to find a parking space.  An early triumph
>> of the Summit Nimbyhood Association was the establishment of 2 hour
>> parking throughout the area.  Job market realities and prevailing
>> customs forced MIriam to quickly replace the free parking its
>> employees had been enjoying.  Something had to be done, but the 2
>> hours everywhere solution is an ongoing absurdity of regulatory
>> overkill, with surprisingly expensive consequences.  I guess "someone
>> else" is paying, so who cares?  There are oodles of cash in the  
>> health
>> care business.
>>
>> In a half mile radius of the hospital, a combination of time limits,
>> parking meters and a residential permit system could easily ensure
>> that shoppers, visitors, patients and residents get a fair share of
>> street parking.  Under the current arrangement, those needs are being
>> amply met and still hundreds more spaces remain empty.  They are kept
>> vacant day after day, patrolled with nazi-like effectiveness, for
>> what?  Oh, right, Quality of Life.
>>
>> Instead of a parking policy designed to fairly and efficiently
>> allocate public street space, a resource paid for by everyone, we  
>> have
>> a parking policy that effectively transforms public space into the
>> private property of a lucky few.
>>
>> Lets talk about Quality of Life.  Cars parked along my street do not
>> harm my quality of life. The street is there.  A lane of it is not
>> about to be removed and replaced by flowers and trees. Why shouldn't
>> someone park there?  My quality of life has been damaged by decades  
>> of
>> having to walk past ugly, unnecessary parking lots where shops and
>> residences could have been developed.  My quality of life is damaged
>> by knowing that the health care system my family supports through
>> premiums copays and taxes is wasting money providing parking spaces
>> that duplicate perfectly good unused parking spaces that my other
>> taxes have already paid for.
>>
>> A parking structure at the Arena site might be a good thing if the
>> transportation needs of Miriam workers can never be met by a
>> combination of walking, bicycling, transit and on street parking.
>> However, if the cost of the parking structure can not be borne
>> exclusively by the parkers who use it, it will be just as taxpayer-
>> supported as RIPTA or the existing private shuttles.  I would rather
>> see taxes go to RIPTA.  If a garage is built, please put storefronts
>> along the streets and something useful like a school or apartments on
>> top.  It is time to stop hidden subsidies to automobile travel.
>>
>>> Monica,
>>> As I have mentioned to you previously, I have found the Miriam
>>> shuttles to be polite and unobtrusive. Frankly, however, I have not
>>> taken a close look at RIPTA's proposal to understand how it might
>>> supplant your current process and the total impact (taxpayer
>>> supported RIPTA) vs. Non-profit Miriam (also taxpayer supported) and
>>> logistical neighborhood impact.
>>> The question is clear (and several suggestions have been offered) :
>>> what type of service will most financially and time wise
>>> efficiently serve what population with the least physical impact to
>>> the neighborhood while assisting the people in need: employees and
>>> patients/ visitors (how do the Summit. Ave. and 8th street lots
>>> figure into this)?
>>>
>>> I am glad you mentioned that you are speaking to Steve Lewinstein
>>> since Miriam's use of the Sears parking area and other North Main
>>> Street parking areas seems to be obstructing development of North
>>> Main Street (per Mike Lozano's study commissioned by the Summit
>>> Neighborhood Association).
>>>
>>> Would development by Miriam of a parking deck at the Arena site
>>> reduce the need for taxpayer supported shuttles (RIPTA or non-profit
>>> status Miriam)? I think this is a timely question since Miriam will
>>> likely be asking for a building replacement/ expansion as part of
>>> its 5 year Master Plan renewal for institutional zoned property in
>>> November. I believe you are sharing the parking study Miriam
>>> conducted (with a consultant) with the public and the SNA (I was
>>> unable to make your presentation I believe on Oct 19). Did it show
>>> options related to this shuttle discussion and the large use/impact
>>> of North Main Street area property by Miriam for parking and options
>>> to reduce the obstacles to the  development of NMS?
>>> Thanks for your continued falicitation of good relations with
>>> Miriam's neighbors. I am glad you are in your position and work hard
>>> to make the compromises needed to work, thanks.
>>> Jim Kelley
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Monica Anderson <majaprov at yahoo.com>
>>> Sender: summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us
>>> Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 11:28:18
>>> To: <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>>> Subject: Re: [Summit] Summit Digest, Vol 68, Issue 8
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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>> End of Summit Digest, Vol 68, Issue 13
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