Parking garage discussed as Franklin St. possibility
Published on December 14th, 2005
STONEHAM, MA - Town Administrator Ron Florino's parking advisory committee explored erecting a two-tier garage above the Franklin Street municipal lot on Thursday, an expense estimated to cost at least $1.5 million.
Pitched by Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello - who was appointed to the group along with Selectman John DePinto, local resident Jeanne Craigie, and Chamber of Commerce member Paul Sodano - the garage was floated as the solution to the parking woes facing potential redevelopment projects in Stoneham Square.
However, before such a town-funded garage could be seriously entertained, solid commitments from local merchants for the resulting spaces must be obtained, insisted Ciccarello.
And to ensure that such a demand exists, the parking advisory committee will now wait until its next meeting on Jan. 5, when local business owners are expected to voice their willingness to purchase new spaces.
"The town would build it and we would charge you the cost per spot. It would be deeded to you, but we would get the taxes," said Ciccarello, directing his comments to local business owners who attended last Thursday's gathering.
"If the town is going to build this, we need commitments from the merchants. Otherwise we can't build it. We just don't have the money," the veteran Selectman explained. "The whole thing is the town doesn't want to make money on the parking. We'd make tax revenue from the condos in the square."
According to Public Works Director Bob Grover, his preliminary research indicates a $1.5 million price-tag for the cost of a "vanilla" structure containing a net gain of 75 spaces at the Franklin Street lot.
However, the DPW Director cautioned that a two-tier garage considered aesthetically pleasing and consistent with Stoneham's small, New England town image would likely cost significantly more. In addition, with the need to tack entrance and exit ramps onto the structure, the lot would lose some ground-level spaces - which would remain municipally-owned spots.
"The smaller the garage, the more expensive. So they're talking about $20,000 per space for a vanilla ice-cream garage. For 75 spaces, you're talking at least $1.5 million. And then you'd have to worry about who's going to maintain it," Grover said.
Questioning whether such a capital project was even necessary, local attorney Charlie Houghton - who is not a voting member of the advisory committee - wondered whether a parking shortage really exists in the square.
According to the local attorney, a recent parking study identified over 600 available spots in the surrounding area, a figure Houghton considered more than adequate. Suggesting that the larger problem was a zoning bylaw requiring 2.1 parking spaces per residential unit, the lawyer instead hinted that tweaking the zoning code might be a better course of action.
Agreeing with Houghton, Sodano proposed looking at alternative solutions such as shared parking spaces or even redesignating certain parking areas as time restricted spots.
"If you're going to do a quick errand, the distance to your car [to a local business] is much more important. But if you're staying here all day [in a condo], you'd probably be willing to walk a little longer," the local business community representative said.
"There are different solutions to the different objectives we may have. Rather than going out and spending money on a garage, maybe we should look at something like shared spaces. These spaces aren't necessarily used at the same time," Sodano suggested.
Scoffing at Sodano and Houghton's belief that no real parking shortage existed, DePinto and Ciccarello guaranteed that if the town's parking regulations were ever enforced, the prominent lack of spaces would easily be highlighted.
According to Ciccarello, the zoning requirement for two parking spaces was well warranted, especially since most households owned at least two cars.
"What makes you say that Paul? If I have two cars and decide I'm not going out for the day, what are you going to do, force me out [because the space is shared]?" the Selectman asked.
Pointing out several area businesses that regularly ignore parking regulations - whether its the overnight parking ban or time limitations at some locations - DePinto felt that by creating a garage guaranteeing permanent spots to area residents, business owners wouldn't have to worry about potential customers turning away after being unable to find a parking space.
"We shouldn't even build the garage, we should just take in the revenue for enforcing the parking rules. If we weren't to do this, and then we started enforcing, we'd have a parking problem. I can guarantee you that," DePinto countered.
Although not necessarily disagreeing with DePinto, Grover reasoned that regardless of fiscal restraints, the town's parking regulations would have to be enforced if a garage was erected.
Specifically, the DPW Director argued that with hundreds of spots available for free throughout the downtown area, no incoming condo owner or developer would ever consider purchasing a parking space for over $20,000.
"I think the first thing you need to do is a parking study," said Grover, whose sentiments were shared by the entire board. "Because nobody is gong to pay for a spot if you can park for free down below. So you have to create some type of strategy."
"You can add 87 spaces and build 30 more condos, but you'll in turn need more parking and end up right where you started," Sodano furthered. "You're only going to increase the people who need parking spaces and you'll be back to the same situation, but only worse."
Formed last February at the urging of Houghton and Stoneham Square business owner Harry Paicopolos, of Main Street's Highland Printing, the parking advisory committee is charged with finding a solution to the supposed car-space shortage in the downtown area.
Paicopolos, who was forced to withdraw his plans to create a project including ground-level retail space topped by residential condominiums, had hoped to mimic the actions of local builder Joseph Cunningham, whose much heralded Love's Furniture redevelopment is nearing its anticipated spring completion date.
Although successfully obtaining town approvals for a project mirroring the premise of Cunningham's mixed-use development, Jane and Thomas Cahill, the owners of McDonough's Liquors, are in a situation similar to Paicopolos, as a neighboring businessman has tied up their 12-unit renovation plans in a court battle over available parking.
And since both Paicopolos and the Cahills have approached the Selectmen and local Planning and Zoning Boards for approvals last winter and spring, a number of other business owners in the Stoneham Square area have reportedly voiced their desire to redevelop their properties into dual residential and retail spaces.
But like their two business owner counterparts, those other property owners' plans are stymied by the apparent shortage of parking in the vicinity of Stoneham Square.
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