Zoning Board OKs North Brookline Parking Deal Despite Neighborhood Concern

Brookline residents living near the Dexter Park apartment complex will soon have the opportunity to rent parking spaces in the building's underground garage under a decision by the town's Zoning Board of Appeals that has disappointed some long-suffering neighbors who fear that more parking means increased noise and traffic.

The parking plan presented at the Thursday evening meeting allows the owners of Dexter Park to rent out 28 parking spaces in the building's underground garage. As conditions of approval, the town is requiring that the spaces only be rented to Brookline residents officially residing within 1,000 feet of Dexter Park, which town officials say should rule out university students looking for a place nearby place to stash their ride.

Renting underground spaces to the public would improve the area by taking cars off the street, said Zoning Board chair Enid Starr. Sticking to the strict purview of the board's authority, Starr said that neighborhood complaints about students and other Dexter Park residents causing disruptions were separate from the zoning issues.

"I have heard a lot of complaints about noise and parties and one thing or another and I really don't see why that is relevant to indoor parking," Starr said.

Board member Jonathan Book commented that "there's clearly a problem in the neighborhood," and that a review of the situation is warranted.

During the board's discussion, Starr mentioned that getting cars off the street and into underground lots is good for the neighborhood.

"Are you insane?" one woman said from the audience of about 20.

The board ruled that the special permit allowing rental of the parking spaces will expire in one year, allowing the board to review the situation and potentially order further changes to the arrangement. One condition that was removed from the permit would have forced the property owner to install a door for pedestrians wishing to leave the garage. Pedestrians leaving the garage can currently leave either though the garage door onto the street or through the building's lobby with a key fob to gain access to the elevator.

Thursday decision leaves the door open, so to speak, for the board to further examine the need for an additional pedestrian exit. The owners will be required to regularly file with the town a list of each parking space renter with their legal residence and driver's license number.

Eunice White, a town meeting member and abutter to Dexter Park, said the only good thing to come out of the meeting was the requirement that the plan be reexamined in a year.

"I'm disappointed that this board doesn't understand the impact of additional parking," White said after the meeting.

White, who spoke in opposition to the proposal during the meeting, asked why the board was considering "allowing this owner to attract even more people to this property and to this area?"

Carol Carol said that a traffic study would be needed to fully analyse the congestion of the area.

"A traffic study really needs to be done before Dexter is given permission to rent out the spaces," Carol said. "Before we have 28 more cars coming and going... we need to look at the traffic pattern there."

Much of the meeting was dominated by discussion among the board members concerning Dexter Park's existing parking and how many spaces could be rented to non-residents without violating town zoning bylaws.

The property was purchased in October by The Hamilton Company, an Allston-based realty management company with holdings throughout Greater Boston. Since taking over management of the building, there has been a significant decrease in complaints from neighbors, Frederick Lebow, an engineer working for The Hamilton Company, said during his presentation to the board.

Hamilton Company president Carl Valeri told the board that the company has spent over $40,000 on a new security system, featuring upgraded cameras, a new sign-in policy and additional guards posted on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The company has also installed speed bumps and constructed a new area for deliveries to help decrease traffic congestion along Thatcher Street.

Dan Saltzman, an attorney representing several of the neighbors opposed to Dexter Park's plan, described the history of the neighborhood's opposition and the problems the building has been associated with, such as increased crime, traffic and pedestrian congestion and noise.