A shock on parking, then the debate

How many spots, and for whom?

An unexpected Town Meeting vote reducing the number of parking spaces at the planned 2 Brookline Place (above, in an architect's rendering) has reopened a longtime debate. (Tsoi/Kobus & Associates)

In this town, almost everybody has an opinion on parking.

But the topic of cars and traffic congestion came under renewed scrutiny in the debate leading up to Wednesday's unexpected passage of a bill that reduces parking-space requirements for a development on Route 9.

Many had thought that Article 15, which deals only with properties owned by Children's Hospital near the Brookline Hills T stop, had only a slight chance of garnering the two-thirds vote necessary for zoning issues to pass Town Meeting.

"When the article first came out, I thought it was dead in the water," said Rob Daves, a Town Meeting member. "But credit [proponent Hugh Mattison] - it's now all the talk of the town."

The Town Meeting debate reopened political fissures over some longstanding questions: Should people expect to park in front of their desired destinations? How much parking is enough? Who is using Brookline's on-street parking and for what?

To further the discussion and perhaps reach a consensus, resident planners have organized a June 9 session with two widely known parking and transportation specialists, who will brief residents on the latest national theories about how much parking is best and where it should be located.

Supporters of the new bylaw argued that if more people drive to the new office and retail building at 2 Brookline Place, Route 9 may become too congested to support future development and abutting neighborhoods may be clogged with cars.

The bylaw allows the parking minimum for the proposed Children's development, set by previous zoning at 666 spaces, to go as low as 412.

Thanks to a legal maneuver before the vote, Children's retains the right to build 666 spaces, if town planners fail to show that a lower number would accommodate the hospital's needs.

Still, the unexpected outcome shows that residents see parking as a factor in traffic congestion and not just a place to put cars.

"Every weekday morning, commuter traffic backs up into my neighborhood," said Daves, who is president of a neighborhood association on nearby Pill Hill. "We've already reached an unreasonable level of congestion."

Opponents worried that without enough spaces in the underground garage, employees and patients would drive around Brookline streets searching for on-street parking.

Ken Goldstein of the Planning Department pointed out that the T doesn't serve everyone in town and that some commute from even farther afield.

"Businesses in Brookline Village warn of what might happen to them if people end up circling the block looking for spaces," he said.

Selectwoman Betsy DeWitt suggested that better enforcement of Brookline's two-hour on-street parking limits would help open up spaces for business and residents.

Currently, a commuter who parked on Brookline's streets beyond the two-hour limit every workday might get a $30 ticket once or twice a month, at most, according to Todd Kirrane of the town's Transportation Department.

The trouble stems partly from provisions in contracts for police and parking enforcement officers that require sector officers, who also respond to 911 calls, to enforce unmetered curb space.

Town officials are negotiating changes to those provisions, Kirrane said. In the meantime, enforcement has increased since a resident permit parking program took effect last August.

The number of tickets for two-hour violations from July 2007 to April 2008 rose 61 percent from the same period a year earlier, said Sean Cronin, deputy town administrator.

With the doubling of the fine to $30 in August, the town has realized an additional $325,000.

"There's gold in those streets," said Bill Schwartz, an urban planner who sat on the Override Study Committee. "Brookline can do much better in managing its curb space. Let's not give it away, but also not make it unaffordable."

Besides working with the town and unions to increase parking enforcement, organizers hope that Brookline can adjust its other zoning bylaws, probably by reducing the minimum number of parking spaces for developments near transit and by negotiating space-sharing.

Children's has signed on to the concept. In a speech and a letter to Town Meeting members, a representative said the hospital supports exploring the possibility of providing less parking, if traffic and usage studies support it.

"Our mutual goal is sufficient parking without adding vehicle trips, traffic, or circling," said George Cole, a consultant for Children's. Instead of building to the maximum, "we would prefer a constructive discussion with the town and experts based on hard data."

The June 9 event will feature Jason Schreiber, a specialist in transit-oriented development and parking management, and Al Raine, a member of Brookline's Economic Development Advisory Board and a transportation planner.

The presentation starts at 7 p.m. at the Old Lincoln School auditorium, 194 Boylston St., and is free and open to all.