Joking obviously. Loving these planters at the bottom of the rail trail hill. Let's some kid ride his bike into the river now!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Parking Garage
You know what? I don't really care much about this parking garage vote.
I don't like either proposal. The drawings I've seen for Titcomb Street concern me. It does look like an imposing structure at the gateway of the city. I envision a parking garage creating an ugly mate to the Horton's Terrace structure that currently stands across from the former Fitness Factory, a pair of oversized book ends blocking too much sky and light.
I actually do prefer the Green Street site. However, I bow to those concerned about the historical and commercial impact of tearing up and then building on the site. I think it can be done well, and I just find Green Street to be such a superior setting. But the concerns are legitimate.
I wasn't sure why I couldn't get behind either plan. Then Jim Roy helped me out. I missed Ed Cameron's dramatic reading of Jim Roy's statement at the public hearing last week (I arrived late with Boy Two in Tow), but Ed kindly published Jim's written thoughts on his blog here. (Jim submitted a cleaned up version in a letter to the editor here.)
Jim cleared up my confusion quickly with this statement.
I absolutely don't think a wider stretch of grass will add much to the downtown. And I am worried that it will cost us money, too much money. Not only will we not collect taxes on potentially taxable land, but we'll be paying some serious cash out for park maintenance. Money we simply don't have. But let's not go there again.
Perhaps I'd be more supportive of the garage if we were using the lots appropriately, but this whole battle has proven one point that I firmly believe.
Questionnaires, polls and vague, dreamy questions about the waterfront are fine. Sure, ask the people if they want a park downtown and they'll say yes about half the time (maybe more, whatever.)
But when the discussion slips into details: Where are we going to put the cars that are currently parked there? Who's going to pay for the construction of the park? How are we going to maintain a park when we can't fix our sidewalks (Yes, this is a real issue) or properly educate our kids? The support easily slips away.
I don't like either proposal. The drawings I've seen for Titcomb Street concern me. It does look like an imposing structure at the gateway of the city. I envision a parking garage creating an ugly mate to the Horton's Terrace structure that currently stands across from the former Fitness Factory, a pair of oversized book ends blocking too much sky and light.
I actually do prefer the Green Street site. However, I bow to those concerned about the historical and commercial impact of tearing up and then building on the site. I think it can be done well, and I just find Green Street to be such a superior setting. But the concerns are legitimate.
I wasn't sure why I couldn't get behind either plan. Then Jim Roy helped me out. I missed Ed Cameron's dramatic reading of Jim Roy's statement at the public hearing last week (I arrived late with Boy Two in Tow), but Ed kindly published Jim's written thoughts on his blog here. (Jim submitted a cleaned up version in a letter to the editor here.)
Jim cleared up my confusion quickly with this statement.
... building a downtown garage is part of a quid pro quo -- without it, we will never have a completed, open, green waterfront in any of our lifetimes. It's that simple.After reading that I realized that I didn't feel strongly about the parking garage because I'm not a fan of establishing a park on the NRA lots. (BTW, Jim is just incorrect in stating that ALL of Newburyport wants a park. That's not true.)
I absolutely don't think a wider stretch of grass will add much to the downtown. And I am worried that it will cost us money, too much money. Not only will we not collect taxes on potentially taxable land, but we'll be paying some serious cash out for park maintenance. Money we simply don't have. But let's not go there again.
Perhaps I'd be more supportive of the garage if we were using the lots appropriately, but this whole battle has proven one point that I firmly believe.
Questionnaires, polls and vague, dreamy questions about the waterfront are fine. Sure, ask the people if they want a park downtown and they'll say yes about half the time (maybe more, whatever.)
But when the discussion slips into details: Where are we going to put the cars that are currently parked there? Who's going to pay for the construction of the park? How are we going to maintain a park when we can't fix our sidewalks (Yes, this is a real issue) or properly educate our kids? The support easily slips away.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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