Parking Recommendations Aired at Committee Meeting

A sub-group of the Transportation Advisory Committee has suggested softening the recommendations made by a consulting firm to alleviate parking concerns in the Capitol Square business area.

"The recommendations by the consultant would represent a major move towards aggressive parking management," according to a memo by the sub-group to the full committee, "and the [sub-group] recommends that more modest solutions be tried before such a move."

Walker Parking Consultants presented its East Arlington Parking Analysis to the Board of Selectmen in February after concerns that parking problems were hurting local businesses. The consultants' proposed plan, part of the town's Commercial Development Strategy, called for harsh measures to be taken, including the installation of curbside meters and valet parking and the creation of permit-parking zones and a separate parking entity, all ideas not supported by the committee's sub-group.

The sub-group, tasked by the Board of Selectmen to review the consultants' approach, met with affected business owners over a three to four month period and came up with its own recommendations, which included encouraging business owners to have their employees park off of Massachusetts Avenue or use alternative transportation when possible, implementing shared parking programs between businesses and schools (both ideas also recommended by the consultants) and marking spaces with white lines.

"I think we came up with good recommendations," committee member Laura Wiener said Wednesday at the committee's August meeting. "They should be easy to implement and cheap."

The process is still in its beginning stages, however, as the full committee still needs to review and revise its sub-group's memo and approve it to the Board of Selectmen, which can then accept, reject or revise the proposal. The committee discussed the memo Wednesday but tabled further discussion and action to its next meeting on Wednesday, September 15.

On Wednesday, committee members agreed with the consultants and their sub-group's recommendation that business employees should be encouraged to avoid parking in customer spots or seek alternative transportation. The sub-group drafted a suggested parking plan for employees, and business owners supported the idea, Wiener said.

Members also supported the consultants and their sub-group's idea for shared parking programs at Hardy Elementary School and the old Crosby School during non-school hours, which tend to be peak business hours. The committee concurred that some spaces should be marked as well. Most measures in the memo, including the marked spaces, call for a pilot period before being fully implemented.

Wiener said the consultants' proposal of curbside meters was never seriously considered by the sub-group.

"I think we were afraid of a firestorm," she said. "We thought it was a big step."

However, the memo states that more aggressive action, such as the meters, could be useful in the future.

Jeffrey Maxtutis, the committee's co-chairman, said he was fine with waiting on the meters but thought that Arlington would have them eventually. Committee member Howard Muise said it seems backwards that there are meters in the town's parking lots but not on the street.

The consultants' valet parking recommendation was scraped by the sub-group because business owners didn't consider it economically viable.

The sub-group also made smaller recommendations, such as rezoning certain spaces to accommodate businesses' needs.