Coast Guard returns parking spots

Three years after terrorism fears prompted the Coast Guard to commandeer a row of parking spots in front of its North End headquarters, the guard has given them back to the neighborhood -- sort of.

Residents greeted Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino with cheers last month when he announced restoration of overnight parking in the 16 spaces in front of the Commercial Avenue base. Other North Enders, however, said the move will provide little relief in the neighborhood, where there are four times as many vehicles as resident parking spots.

''What is the net effect of all this? Probably very little," said David Kubiak, secretary of the North End/Waterfront Residents' Association. ''We are not ending up any better off than we were," said Kubiak, noting that planned construction elsewhere in the neighborhood would take several other spots out of use early next year for as long as two years.

According to the Boston Transportation Department, 4,086 North Enders with parking permits currently vie for the neighborhood's 1,080 resident parking spots. Added competition comes from out-of-towners, who flock to the North End's restaurants and tourist attractions.

While the 16 spaces represent only a fraction of the total, North Enders spoke wistfully of them after they were taken out of commission in 2001. The Coast Guard erected Jersey barriers and effected the parking ban in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The new arrangement doesn't return the spaces to full-time resident use. North Enders can now park in front of the base only on weekends and overnight on weekdays starting at 4 p.m. Residents could be ousted again if the homeland security threat level climbs because of new concerns about terrorist threats, according to Coast Guard Commander Vann Young.

''We want to be great neighbors with the North End," said Young, adding that neighbors had been very understanding about the security issue.

However, the prohibition on daytime parking has led some residents to wonder if the Coast Guard is trying to keep the spaces more for convenience than for security. Not so, said Young; the restriction aims at protecting Coast Guard personnel working in offices overlooking the street.

The Coast Guard isn't the only neighborhood institution at loggerheads with some neighborhood drivers. Mulberry Child Care and Preschool received permission from the city's Transportation Department recently to reserve two spots on Atlantic Avenue for parents dropping off or picking up their children. However, the city revoked permission and removed the new street signs after an onslaught of complaints from residents, according to the department.

Last Thursday night, Mulberry executives were scheduled to seek community support from members of the North End/Waterfront Residents' Association. A woman who answered the phone at Mulberry declined comment last week.

In better news for drivers, the city is replacing 25 metered parking spots under the old Central Artery that were demolished to make way for the Big Dig.

The planned Rose Kennedy Greenway, on former Central Artery real estate, will also have additional metered parking along some parts of its 20-block stretch, according to Jim Mansfield, Boston Transportation Department spokesman.