Many Restonians Still Not Happy With Boston Properties Over Parking

RESTON, VA — Boston Properties' announcement Wednesday that it would end paid parking after 5 p.m. on weekdays and allow shoppers a free hour was met with joy by those who had been bashing the developer for the past six months, but many still aren't satisfied with the current situation.

Reston Town Center posted a notice on their Facebook page that the changes would take effect on Monday, June 5. The post was immediately bombarded with reactions from locals who wanted to weigh in on the big change, and there were 131 comments as of Thursday morning.

The biggest complaint appears to be the allowance of only one hour during weekdays. Many locals argued that wasn't enough time even to sit down to lunch, let alone go shopping as well.

"At least BP listened, but for one free hour parking there is still nothing I need at RTC that I can't get locally at another venue," wrote Kathy Long Tracey.

"One hour isn't enough to do anything unless you are very fast ... which counts out a lot of people," said Karen Olsen. "Young moms with kids in school want to go before 5 PM. A suggestion to attract people: increase the free parking before 5 to two hours. I may return to RTC now but it will be after 5 or on weekends."

Many still dislike the ParkRTC app itself, which some say is cumbersome, while others expressed concern about privacy.

"While it's half about the principle of charging to park in a place that shouldn't require paid parking, it's also a very confusing pay system for the customers," said Christine Tschohl in a comment. "My husband who does IT security for a living, says the app is extremely insecure and I personally don't want to call a number every time I park to give a system my credit card information. What happened to a good old fashioned pay station at the exits (particularly free with validation) that anyone could figure out?"

Boston Properties says that the app is completely secure, and in the statement announcing the change, they said they planned to make the ParkRTC system easier to use this summer.

There were some other issues that weren't raised quite as often, but still did get mentions, like not making any changes to street parking.

"There should be at least 1 hour free street parking so people can drive to RTC to run errands and grab a quick lunch," Stephanie Gordon wrote.

However, many also expressed thanks to Boston Properties for making the change.

"This is a big improvement and I appreciate the efforts of Boston Properties," Tschohl said in her comment.

"Excellent move in the right direction!" Gordon agreed.

While most seem to think that things are moving in the right direction, not everyone is quick to forgive Boston Properties, indicating there may still be a ways to go before everything is fine and dandy between RTC and the community.

"No apology for your colossal screw-up?" said Richard Holmquist. "You've driven away tens of thousands of visits this year and millions of dollars."

Image via Flickr user Payton Chung