City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire 2022 - 2024 City Council, 21 Nov 2022

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From YouTube: 11.21.2022 City Council Work Session

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11.21.2022 City Council Work Session

A

uh Thanks everyone uh for coming to the knights, neighborhood parking program, city council,.

B

Work session kelly, I always forget: do we take the role on this? We don't have to? We don't have.

B

To all right, so we won't, um but the uh still waiting on councilor, bagley and sure hill.

C

Sorry I read, I read councilman counselor bagley, but we're going to pass it over.

B

uh To youtube uh to give a presentation, I would ask that we, um you know, I know we have until.

B

Scheduled until 7 30 on this is that that my my clock, I think, is it eight o'clock all the way till.

B

Eight okay! Well, I would like to to to go through these slides um a lot of folks. Well, I got to read.

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Them this afternoon, but if we could keep this part of the discussion um and moving as quickly.

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As as we can so that we can get time for for questions, that's pointed at both you uh councilman.

D

I already prefixed that pretty judicious with their words, uh we do start with a map.

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Of portsmouth around uh 16 or 1800 here, so we're going we're going back a ways to get to where we.

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Are um but um we'll do that then we'll have discussion then there's time for uh public.

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Comment we'll, hopefully, uh work for a process moving forward uh and then we'll churn. So.

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Council moreau and councilor bagley the floor. She was uh thank you mayor, um I'll, I'll, lead off, but.

E

uh Councilor monroe and I have talked quite a bit about parking programs and parking management and.

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What this is is just kind of a view from 30 000 feet about why we might want a parking program in.

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Parking management and then uh some suggestions on what something like that might look like and.

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If we go to the next slide, this is uh fort smith. In 1877, it's pretty popular bird's eye.

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View, I think, a lot of people have it hanging in their homes or office, and the next slide.

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Kind of zooms in a little bit into the downtown, plus the islington creek area and the reason.

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We're showing this slide is, you know when our city was developed in the downtown area. You.

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Know cars didn't exist yet so there wasn't really much consideration given to parking.

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um Because there was no need for it and, interestingly enough.

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These are some of the most desired most desirable areas in the city, so it runs counter to the the.

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1950S 1960s theory of that you should design around parking when you build a community.

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So the next slide shows the current downtown parking management system, so the stuff in.

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Red is parking area, a the stuff in blue is parking area b. The blue and orange are the.

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Two garages and the purple down at the bottom is the parrot lot. That is free.

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Next side, please so one of the reasons that we're here tonight talking about a parking.

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Management program is one that there are some neighborhoods that could use it and two um one.

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Of the bigger barriers to affordable housing is parking requirements, so one of the things we.

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Could think about is instead of managing parking by requiring all new structures to have x amount.

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Of spaces, if we have a good management system, we can kind of proactively adapt to parking as.

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Situations change over time, so the objectives are to identify areas of the city that have parking.

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Demands that are greater than life. Oh sorry, on street capacity, either now or in the future.

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Tonight develop a framework for managing the parking supply in a fair and equitable way.

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Three design across neutral program without adding to the tax burden and then for kind of a lofty.

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Goal for tonight uh examine the true economic and social costs of building and maintaining.

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Parking spaces and the methodology as the city continues to evolve the sensible, fact-based.

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Approach to parking management is desirable in our residential neighborhoods establishing a framework.

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For a parking program gives residents clear and understandable path forward with concerns.

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They may have regarding development and some of our most desirable neighborhoods, including the.

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Downtown area are illegal to build with current zoning and parking requirements next slide. Please.

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The supporting stats just uh talk about um some cities that in the 1950s and 60s, knocked down a.

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Lot of buildings put in a lot of parking lots and it actually had a very detrimental effect.

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On the economic and social well-being of those cities, so we kind of learned from those lessons.

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That, as we did here in portsmouth, as well with urban renewal, knocking down neighborhoods to.

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Put in parking lots is not a good way to adjust parking shortages next slide. Please.

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And I'll hand this one over to council morale to the next slide. It's all good.

D

um So it's sucking so most of you realize that I actually live in the islington creek neighborhood.

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Where the um pilot program has been running, and uh so this slide just talks about the pros and cons.

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So there is increased availability of on-street parking for the residents who live in those.

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Communities areas uh it reduces or eliminates parking requirements for new development.

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Helps affordable housing. It definitely increases walkability over time and reduces a lot of traffic.

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And congestion and speeding in the neighborhoods I know I've had several neighbors walk up to me.

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And talk about how much nicer it is that people aren't speeding through the neighborhood looking.

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For parking people are actually going to different places and they drive a lot smaller. A lot slower.

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And makes it a lot safer for the small children in the neighborhood cons are yes, it's an additional.

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Cost there's additional staff and infrastructure signs in the neighborhood challenges for renters.

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Because they may not have their cars registered in the city and the 72-hour parking limit. That.

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We have citywide tends to be a negative for somebody that might want to leave their car.

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With a permit parked for more than 72 hours next slide, so what program parameters might look like.

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And because the islington creek neighborhood was the one where this originally started, this is I.

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Got together with some of my neighbors, and we talked about what my framework look like.

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um So ten dollars a month seemed like a boundary of costs um that would actually work for someone.

D

That's renting, I didn't think ten dollars a month to be able to not guarantee but give.

D

You a much more likely ability to have a parking space somewhere near your neighborhood. It could.

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Be tied to a license plate, it could be tied to a lease agreement. If that is a problem.

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um Any city or resident could get a permit to to park in the neighborhood. It wouldn't just be for.

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The people in that neighborhood, so it would be city residents, we could go with no guest pass. We.

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Could go with? We had talked about getting one free guest pass per house and then all the rest would.

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Be on street parking through a parking app so that the parking app would be how people could come.

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Into the the neighborhood and park pay for parking and just like the downtown area, then the longer.

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They stay the more they pay, so that way we would actually be generating money based off of people.

D

Coming to the neighborhood and then parking that way, enforcement hours would match the downtown.

D

We could give businesses at the rate passes, I say not limit the passes, but I think if you have the.

D

Cost of the passes after two maybe three passes. If you put it up to what it would be equal to.

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Them to have to park in the garage for their employees, then they're going to be more apt.

D

To go use the employee parking program so either making it equal or more than that, I think, would be.

D

A balanced way to start to take a look at that um we talked about whether or not you decide an area.

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By how many parking spaces in the area or by how many um residential houses in the neighborhood so.

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It could be an area of 200 parking spaces or 100 houses or, however, you want to look at it. So these.

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Are kind of some of the parameters we started to talk about how we could formulate something.

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um Together, we also talked about uh how to quantify uh the buy-in of the neighborhood.

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You know what percentage of the neighborhood needs to want to have a program, so things like.

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That utilization of the neighborhood there was a lot of numbers collected about our neighborhood.

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But what wasn't collected is based off. They say we only gained so many parking spaces, but.

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The question is, who were those people that were parking there before and who were those people.

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Parking thereafter, is it the same amount of people parking, but now it's people from the neighborhood.

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Versus people that work downtown or actually come in um to to be a tourist and park in the.

D

Neighborhood and then walk into the town, uh so percentages of utilization. What is that number.

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Going to look like, is it 65? Is it 70? Is it 75, um and then we would have applications for these to.

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Be able to go to uh public works for review to make sure they meet whatever parameters that.

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This city council develops and then it would have final city council approval. After that.

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Next slide, this is just a quick example of what a petition might look like if you wanted to you.

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Know incorporate your neighborhood into a neighborhood parking program and then next.

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Slide: um do your streets have a parking problem? Do people circle, the block looking for parking is.

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It convenient to find parking at the curb how many parking spaces are occupied by long-term.

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Parkers, do residents feel new development and traffic it will appearing next slide. Please.

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You know many residents are concerned, we hear over and over again you know anytime anything.

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New is built in the city. What about parking? We don't have enough parking for that. That is a a.

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Primary concern of a lot of residents with any new development trends across the country are to.

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Eliminate parking minimums not expand them, but we don't want to eliminate parking minimums or.

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Reduce parking minimums unless we have a safety valve for a parking management program if it were.

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To be needed in the future, and a lot of the stuff we're talking about here is is maybe not necessary.

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Today, but could be necessary in in 10 or 20 years, and you know we all want to be environmentally.

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Friendly and by having a denser residential areas that accomplishes that several ways.

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um For instance, um the the city expenses, you know, most of our houses have gas electric sewer police.

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And fire responses is dependent on how far they have to travel so the closer together households.

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Are the cheaper? Those costs are because the pipes aren't as long the electrical wires aren't.

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As long so, the revenue generated by the city per individual housing unit is higher relative to the.

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Cost so there's an efficiency there and it's also more environmentally friendly, because it allows us.

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To leave bigger sections of green space elsewhere in the city and the next slide. So this was a.

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Presentation given in 2018 or 2019, and what it's showing is value per acre. And if we go to the next.

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Slide this shows rochester, dover and fort smith, and, what's very interesting, is one that portsmouth.

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Really excels in value per acre, but the areas that have the highest value and thus generate the most.

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Tax revenue for the city are the densest areas, the downtown, with the exception of lonza, which is on p.

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So it has its own unique characteristics, which is the the spike to the left. But the really big spike.

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In the center shows that where people want to live the most I.e, they're willing to pay the most money.

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Is in the neighborhoods that have a parking problem, so so people aren't in for in most.

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Cases, people don't buy a home because they can store a lot of cars there. Now there are.

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A few uh motorheads that would disagree with that, but most of us they we want to be able to.

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Walk to the coffee shop or we want to be able to to walk downtown, or we want to be able to.

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Walk to the playground- and you can only do that- neighborhoods where there's a certain amount of.

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Density, if everybody has a one acre lot, it just becomes geometrically impossible for everybody.

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To walk to everything, because you know you could walk half a mile and only go past 10 houses so.

D

um So, to sum it all up, we are, as a city they've recently put out an rfp to have a parking study.

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Done through the dpw, which is going to inform a lot of our land, use, changes that might need to.

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Happen around parking, we're heading into obviously another year of, hopefully looking at more policy.

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Changes around our zoning, and that should be one of them. It might also help us give us some.

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More information around how we might want to structure a city-wide parking management program.

D

And when we're talking, I'm not talking about the entire city, I'm talking about wherever there's a.

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Neighborhood adjacent to a downtown where there is sort of the the creep and crawl of the people.

D

From the downtown where they have to pay to neighborhoods outside and drawing a line, I don't.

D

Know but I'm hoping the study will really help us be able to put some boundaries around where those.

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Areas are for the short term, with the neighborhood that has had the pilot program. So the question.

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Becomes what do we do for the short term there? Do we put around some, you know very some boundaries.

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Around costs and qualifications and streets- and I certainly look to the city staff to possibly help.

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Us give a little input. Maybe um they can help us figure out what might be the best thing to.

D

Do and what might work for the whole neighborhood that we could then build off of um in the future.

C

Councilman councilor bagley any questions that was great. You guys got through that.

B

15 minutes yeah, exactly like a I didn't dish it in my head.

B

Any questions on that system here um more, I guess a concern point of discussion. um You note in here.

F

That anyone from any neighborhood could get a permit for that neighborhood. um I I worry that.

F

It almost might have the opposite effect, where there are people that you know live outside of.

F

That neighborhood, that work downtown, whether that service industry, retail industry um or or.

F

Any other industry that you had downtown you're now making that less expensive than than the the.

F

Foundry downtown worker program, so that would be my concern and I think we have seen that in other.

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Neighborhoods, I know I personally have experienced it where I parked say somewhere, maybe in the south.

F

End and someone says you can't parker, this is for residents and I've said well, I'm a poor, suspense.

F

And I'm just walking to the park, um so my concern is that obviously we can't exclude residents but.

F

um I think that that should be a noted concern. I think you have to limit how many like you could.

D

Get more than one permit for household in the neighborhood, I think no more than one for any.

D

Household outside, I think that would be one way of being able to do that. Yeah and that's that's an.

E

Excellent question I actually spent the past week. I talked to the parking director in san francisco.

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And in portland oregon some smaller cities around this country and there was mixed feelings on that.

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A lot of the bigger places that have multiple neighborhood parking programs- you have to be a.

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Resident of that particular area, other places open and up to all the residents, because it's an equity.

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Issue, you know we all pay to maintain the roads in the city. So the thought is you. You shouldn't.

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Exclude anybody from being able to park and one example that was used was you know if your mom or.

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Dad lives in a neighborhood that has a parking program, but you live on the other side of town.

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Where there is no parking program, what do you do to go visit them and one of the ways you manage.

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That is if, if you're, just occasionally parking in say the south end to visit a park, you're, probably.

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Not going to spend you know the ten dollars a month for a permit, you're, probably only going to.

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Do that if you're working, downtown and walking into town or or you're there fairly frequently.

E

But that would be one of the things that we would monitor over time and and see if tom.

E

You know we need to regulate it more, because what we don't want to do is create a program.

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That's so restrictive that we end up with you know: 50 percent utilization of parking spots. We.

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Don't want nobody to be using the parking spot, so we want to kind of find that magic number where.

E

Everybody is is happy with the usage, if I may, um when just in kind of the overview of this program.

F

And when we're looking at parking programs, are we looking at 24-hour parking programs? I just I.

F

Think about in the south end in like boston, where it's residential only from say, 6 p.m, to 6 a.m.

F

um I just would hope that we would consider obviously keep all considerations on the table.

F

When we're looking at long term, so the way it would work right now is the enforcement.

D

Hours would be the same as the downtown hours so nine to eight, whatever it is and outside of that.

D

There's no cost and no fee and anyone can park there and the reason for that is twofold. One.

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It's uh from a management issue: if we have one neighborhood sign up for this, we don't have to.

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You know hire staff with different hours than the rest of the parking department. You know everybody.

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Can kind of be interchangeable and two we don't know what the right hours necessarily are. So it.

E

Kind of makes sense to start with what we have and build off of that. Thank you any other questions.

C

Were these counselor counselor denton? Did you have a question hi? Yes? Okay, so I guess.

G

More of a comment, actually one thing which a previous council went back and forth with was.

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Just that question who should be allowed to get a permit? Is it just the people in.

G

The neighborhood or everybody in the community- and I think they made the right decision saying.

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Everybody should be allowed to have access to a permit because everyone's paying taxes.

G

I like the idea of sticking with it.

C

uh Councilor blaylock bigger. um I also checked out some of the old meetings. Councilor denton.

H

Was part of back in 2019, um and this was back when my father was the mayor.

H

um And there was a lot of discussion over who was excluded, who was included. I for one would want to.

H

Not exclude anyone, I think that kind of had some unintended consequences ended up kind of pitting.

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Neighbors against other neighbors, drawing a line on a neighborhood. You know saying you're not in.

H

My neighborhood you're in my neighborhood- I don't know um that doesn't feel very fortunate to me.

H

On in I mean the other thing I want to be careful with, this is creating something.

H

That's too complex that would require more of city staff's time, um because that's to look at.

H

Another cost that I would look at um but yeah. I understand those comments. Thanks counselor.

C

Counselor cook and then I saw counselor. Thank you mayor. um I had a question about this. It.

I

At least 200 street parking spaces in a parking area and the reason I'm asking that is that some.

I

Of the neighborhoods we're talking about don't have 200 spaces right, so the option was either.

D

Looking at how many park to qualify as a size that could apply for a program, one of the boundaries.

D

We might talk about is either parking spaces in the neighborhood or residence residential units.

D

In the neighborhood- and I think we really need to include like all multi-unit buildings. So if it's a.

D

Four unit building all four units would be count as being part of that neighborhood. So it's just.

D

A matter of what what's and it's we're not giving you any concrete numbers, we're giving you ideas of.

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Ways that you can take a look at different areas around the adjacent to the downtown and say: okay.

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You have you know: 100 houses or 100 residential units in this neighborhood. So if there's a certain.

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Percentage of those that agree, this is a good idea. Then you'd move forward. So it's kind of an idea. Do.

D

You want to deal with it through parking spaces, or do we deal with it through residential units.

I

And just as a follow-up are we still focused on necessarily neighborhoods from looking at the way.

I

This is drawn up, it could be a series of streets, not necessarily a whole neighborhood. Is that right.

D

Like I just said it could be, however, many houses or residential units within a set area. It could.

D

Be I mean, there's other I I looked briefly at the city of dover. They actually only give.

D

Permits so many permits based off of how many parking spots on a specific street, so you have.

D

To apply for a permit on a specific street and if you get put on a waiting list, if all.

D

Those permits are taken up, so they never give out. More than that, I don't think. That's quite.

D

The right way for us to do it, but do you see how there's many different ways of looking at.

D

How you could do this, and also follow up on that? uh Thank you, councilman roy, the we have.

E

You know defined neighborhoods in the city of portsmouth that go back. You know a long.

E

Time and that those particular neighborhoods may not make sense to utilize for this, so we.

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Didn't want to say: okay, you have to be a you know what everybody thinks of it as a.

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Neighborhood, it may be half that neighborhood or three quarters of that neighborhood or half.

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That neighborhood and half of a different neighborhood, but that's why we concluded.

E

That it really shouldn't be gerrymandered. What we don't want to end up with. Is you.

E

Know some crazy modulation of streets that kind of combine to create a parking program. We want.

E

It to be, you know what somebody on a map could look at and say: okay, that kind of makes sense.

B

um Oh uh councilor tabor: do you still have your hand up? Yes, all right hold on. I just.

B

Want to before we get too far, I do want to just call out uh thank you for including the housing.

B

As a part of this, I think oftentimes, you know, there's a pushback people say well, you know.

B

We want more housing, you know it always comes down to cars. I think everybody in portsmouth.

B

Would want more housing if it didn't mean that they couldn't park in front? You know like if it.

B

Didn't like have a a negative impact on either the amount of cars in the neighborhood, or you know the.

B

Amount of cars in the road, but right now we have no ability at all in the city to limit the amount.

B

Of cars that get to to park in the areas that we have there's you know we have uh plenty of.

B

You know we can, we can give exceptions to the to the to the requirements. Came up during the adus.

B

But there's not a there's, there's no ability to limit. So I think this is a really important.

B

Conversation because of its effect on housing, something that most people want more housing.

B

um And you know the islington creek ended up being the the place where we had a parking.

B

Program that was somewhat in the works, but there's a a bigger impact outside of just.

B

Parking in that neighborhood, so thank you for including that in that presentation.

B

Council tabor thanks mayor, um I wanted to talk a little bit more about the minimum 200.

J

I was reading about successful parking programs, there's one in minneapolis that literally glows.

J

Block by block um and as I think we got the street by street data for the islington creek project,.

J

There's a whole lot of streets actually 13 out of 21 streets, where they don't even.

J

Come close to the 75 or 80 percent pressure on utilization, so I think you'd have a hard time.

J

Getting the majority of the neighborhood as it's drawn now to want to pay 120 bucks a year.

J

A lot of those streets don't need it, but I think if you went.

J

Small, you know block by block, if necessary, in india in minneapolis.

J

um They required 75 percent of the red of the residents to sign up and they would.

J

Only do it where they measured, 33 percent of the parking stock was used by non-residents.

J

um That's a high bar, but I think that give some kind of definition of the problem.

J

You know we're using this to.

J

We're using this in neighborhoods where people have to park on the street in many cases.

J

And employees from downtown or from other parts of town are beating them to it and park there all day.

J

So if we had some measure of how many spaces are used by non-residents,.

J

And we allowed small smaller units because I think anybody can organize a block organizing.

J

21 streets, that's I don't know if I can organize my own block here. I shouldn't say anyone. It's.

B

A lot easier, you're gonna, lower panelakis on my block. She can organize the ball. Well, we've.

J

Got neighborhoods that just want to be different anyway, but um those those are some some thoughts. I.

J

Had is make it bite-sized look at how many spaces are used by non-residents, to define the need and.

J

Make sure that the need is there and don't try to force in streets where there's plenty of parking.

J

Yeah, we don't actually have those numbers for non-residents to residents that change over.

D

Because they were just counting how many cars in the neighborhood versus who was so that's.

D

The hard part about not having that specific number, but it doesn't mean we couldn't look.

D

Into that at a future date as part of a an overall parking management program and I think, to wrap up.

J

I think the real thing we have to be careful of is a. I think we should have a policy that.

J

Policy direction that um it's always the majority and a strong majority that wants this.

J

Because you're going to inconvenience a minority that doesn't want it they're suddenly going to.

J

Have time limits they're going to have to buy a permit, they may have to pay a meter if they don't.

J

So you know, I think we always have to as a council set a policy that this really has to.

J

Have a strong majority to it. If you get 51 wanting it, that's 49 that have to suddenly.

J

Pay for parking and be inconvenienced in the you know. That would concern me.

B

Thanks counselor tabor, and you mentioned uh minneapolis, who had a uh probably the poster.

B

Child for zoning law changes when it comes to housing. It's interesting that they've done so.

B

Much work on parking related again uh assistant mayor, thank you. uh This would be directed to peter.

F

And dbw it was touched on earlier that we're going to be doing a parking study. Could you elaborate a.

F

Little bit on what that rfp is going to look like and what we're looking, what information.

F

We're looking to gain from that um good evening, mr mayor city, council um pleasure to be here this.

K

Evening peter rice, director of public works with me this evening, is mike cassad, our general foreman.

K

For the parking transportation group, um I have to apologize ben fletcher's not able to be here this.

K

Evening he had prior commitments uh based on early thanksgiving, but if he were to be here, he would.

K

He lives and breathes his stuff, so the uh the rfp, uh the proposals are due tomorrow.

K

Actually, and the a lot of the stuff that's being talked about right now is really one.

K

Of the drivers behind that rfp uh is, you may recall back in 2012 uh there was some parking.

K

Principles developed that were used to help inform land use decisions at the time, um and so we've.

K

Our current parking program, which I know there, isn't a neighborhood parking program, but there.

K

Is a downtown parking program, it has been very successful and have to to acknowledge the fact.

K

That the parking program contributes close to four million dollars to the general fund uh in.

K

Direct money's, 2.4 million in direct monies and additional monies and services so there's a huge.

K

Value to the city uh and in managing uh how people utilize parking um and because this is a past 10.

K

Years old, the original study back in 2012, we felt it was appropriate to to do a revisit of those.

K

Of that program- and it's it's a youth parking utilization, but it's also looking at our land use.

K

um The parking requirements associated with land use, how are we creating barriers? Are we are? We.

K

Into any more do we need less? How does that? How do we use that to inform our land use decisions so.

K

um This the discussion tonight is really timely. um It kind of kicks off um the process so when.

K

We, when we sit down with our consultants, we can be really clear about what council expectations.

K

Are and what we want to see from this process, but you know I would, I would think um we're.

K

Really looking to follow the data, you know what what is the utilization truly, I mean I.

K

Know people feel inconvenienced. Sometimes um you know I've lived all over the city of portsmouth.

K

uh Downtown on maplewood on on pleasant street, I currently live on the corner south of newcastle.

K

And I've experienced the challenges you know not having parking uh during the winter time and not.

K

Having you know having to move around and look for for parking, um so it's it's understandable.

K

um The concerns, and- and we want to make sure we address the areas that deserve the the attention.

K

um The other thing we we want to, as somebody that's responsible for implementing uh the.

K

Decisions that are made by the council, we want to make sure the programs that are that are put.

K

Together are manageable um that we don't create a disjointed this one of the counselors said you.

K

Know this is kind of frankenstein of different places, so our enforcement staff have a hard time.

K

Figuring out, you know, is this enforceable areas? It's not an enforceable area. You know so that.

K

That makes it easier for people to understand it makes it easier for our staff to to operate.

K

um And then are we making it too complex uh for people to take advantage of um so we need to try.

K

To keep it a simple, a program understandable, so we provide value to the to the residents that.

K

Are paying for this program, so I'm not sure if that was a little longwood. When did the answer.

K

It was kind of what the rfp is looking at, but also I plugged a couple of other things that I felt ben.

K

Would want me to plug, we all know, I'm a pro at being long-winded. So I think that was perfect.

B

Now, when is that going to be done? um It hasn't? It has not been locked in yet in terms of um we're.

K

Going to select the consultant first and then typically, what happens is that the scope creeps.

K

um So that we add to it and the duration, uh we would envision uh probably a four.

K

To six month uh period, so well before our like a 10-year planning in 2025., yes, yep.

K

Yeah, so we would anticipate that it would help inform that as well. Council cook. uh Thank you.

I

And thank you for coming today to answer our questions. Our pleasure. uh I had asked ben.

I

Fletcher this question I thought I should make sure that the council's aware I I'd.

I

Asked whether or not it was if we've ever done, a study of distance from the downtown.

I

And parking in in a certain perimeter rather than looking at neighborhoods, and he had said no.

I

Is there that we'd always considered neighborhoods when we talked about parking programs in the past.

I

Rather than distance from downtown um in this study, is there a chance that you're going to.

I

Be looking at distance from downtown like a certain like parameters that you could draw.

K

We have not finalized the scope of services yet, but we did talk about um an expanded vision. You.

K

Know not, we didn't want to just look at the downtown. We wanted to look outside.

K

um I don't know if we framed the. I know we didn't frame the question the way you just placed it.

K

Representative, but I don't see why we couldn't, um you know easily, look at it that way. Thank you.

C

I've been listening a lot and, um and one of the things I think, councilor blaylock.

A

Brought up is that we don't want to divide up the city. I think that you know if we create areas.

A

Of the city that have something that other areas don't um and it's it's a concern. I I've seen that.

A

I saw that in boston became a very divided city, not by parking but by transportation, corridors and.

A

um But it seems to me that you know creating a process for parking for some and not others. Is.

A

um Could be a problem in that thanks councilman, I had a question uh somewhat.

B

Related to that, like uh this uh slide on just remind us what the blue is again versus the red.

D

Value so blue is the super intensive zombies, the higher intensity, an hour okay 1.50 an hour in.

L

The red would be the high occupancy, which would be the okay. So, like I mean it's always kind of.

B

uh Not always because I'm 39 years old- and I haven't always thought uh about this- so over the.

B

Last three years, though, um in thinking about this, I uh I'm wondering you know why, couldn't we just.

B

Extend the blue into the into the islington creek and then, instead of have some parking pass just.

B

You know people can white list their their license, plate for 100 bucks or 120 bucks a year and and.

B

Slowly, increase that would there be any negative effects that we would see uh under that if, instead.

B

Of having to pay the meter, they could just through the app or or going down to city hall, just remove.

B

Themselves from you know being enforced on if they actually lived in one of those districts.

B

So if I manage to mayor um mike, I'm not sure if park mobile has the ability to differentiate like.

K

That, or does it have, I know we can create a list of residents for the resident discount.

K

Associated with the park mobile but mike, could you speak um well. That's a good question, mr mayor.

L

um Well, it's technology they've got to be able to do something. The new software that.

L

We just purchased that which is called the ticket track, has a module where we can insert.

L

Plates so when the enforcement runs the plate, it would come up as a like a white list kind of.

L

Thing, okay, I mean, I guess like from the standpoint of like trying to figure out how to you know I I.

B

Think that there's we can look at it as two ways. We can look at it from a standpoint. If there's a.

B

There's a neighborhood parking program or there's neighborhoods adjacent to the the.

B

Downtown downtown's growing a bit you might need enforcement in. You know like actually metering.

B

Some of these areas- probably not with actual meters but just another zone, but then what we.

B

Run into is people living in those neighborhoods that don't want their street metered and I would.

B

You know I'd understand that, because I wouldn't want like it's if, if the adu guys were like all.

B

Right we're metering, thornton street I'd be like why there's no there's no issue uh there.

B

But there might be an issue here and it might be worth somebody's to have their street metered if.

B

They're going to, then uh you know have a a drastic discount on that, so I would like to know, I guess.

B

Like a question, if I'm going to turn this into a question, how do we determine whether or not.

B

We're going to expand the metered area of the the downtown and extend that uh beyond the current.

B

Borders, what's the process to go through to examine that and that's a good question: um we've.

K

We've done it if you recall five six years ago, we extended up maplewood avenue.

L

I don't even think it was that long ago you are correct, maplewood vaughn and reigns so we we do it.

K

Mainly it's driven by utilization. So if we see if we see areas that are heavily impacted in terms of.

K

The duration of the day and if there's a need for that area, that businesses in that area are.

K

Saying hey, we don't have any parking, because um you know people are parking in front of us.

K

Our stores all day- and nobody can you know my business. My clients can't come that drives.

K

The discussion and that's and that's actually, what happened along that section of maplewood avenue- is.

K

That some of the businesses were saying they they couldn't their clients couldn't get in, uh because.

K

There wasn't spaces and for them to utilize, um and so we we went ahead and expanded the park. Mobile.

K

um Which is not a metered system, it's a it's a virtual meter system uh to that area. So we would.

K

We would envision, um you know if the decision is to to look at the numbers and say: okay.

K

There's a there's, a justification, there's a reason to go ahead and to create this program.

K

We could we could easily expand on the area. Would that have been something done by ordinance change.

M

Once that was determined to be the area in need, yes, it would need to be an ordinance change.

K

Council bagger yeah, thank you, america and I'll just kind of quickly speak to that as well. That.

E

Is a little bit how we imagined it is you'd use the park mobile app there wouldn't be meters or.

E

Kiosks in the neighborhood and if you were say uh visiting from out of town or you were fixing.

E

A furnace you'd use the park. Mobile app and you'd pay a dollar an hour to park in that neighborhood.

E

If you're a resident, your your license, plate, hopefully, would be in the system and when they.

E

Come around they pop your license plate and say: okay, this car doesn't have to pay and it would be.

E

Up to residents in the city to determine you know is: is the ten dollars a month a better deal or I.

E

Only park there twice a year, I'll just pay the dollar an hour for the the couple hours I park.

E

There now, the other aspect I think you were asking about- is the difference between commercial and.

E

Residential, so in the downtown in the commercial area, it's important if we want to be able to have.

E

Viable businesses in the downtown that we have parking turnover so the methodology, the real.

E

Reason we charge for parking is not the revenue it's to create turnover in the neighborhood. We're.

E

Trying to create parking for people that live there, so they're kind of conflicting goals. That's.

E

Why you have a slightly different program in a neighborhood versus why you'd have versus what.

B

You have in the downtown so that that does answer a question that I was also going to ask. Is you.

B

Know there are people that live in the downtown. um That would probably want the same uh system where.

B

They could just park in front of their house or their apartment, and that is a if we had limitless.

B

Supply for parking would love for that to happen. But since we have to balance that against.

B

Businesses that need people to come and frequent those businesses. We can't exactly have somebody.

B

That gets the park for a dollar in the red zone uh there, so that would be a determiner between.

B

um You know the the commercial and the the residential, and if there was a way you know.

B

From an ordinance, you know if we were to go forward with an ordinance change in terms of.

B

Expanding the parking we would probably have for a street a pretty high bar in terms of.

B

75 percent of the street that would be impacted wanting to you know, have basically.

B

That the trade-off would be you get to get to have to uh pay 100 or 120 bucks.

B

um A a year, but what you get is us enforcing parking, we're time limits and requirements.

B

On your street, that would be the the trade-off there and it could. You know people could still.

B

Park there, but they would be, they would be, they would be charged. Okay, all right.

C

I want to weigh in on two of the most outstanding questions which you guys have. One is regarding.

G

Either not having guest passes or having one guest pass per house. I think the one guest.

G

Pass per house made sense when it was free under neighborhood parking pilot program. Here I think.

G

It no longer would make sense to give away a free guest pass if everyone else is paying.

G

Ten dollars, so I would you're more likely to support something if there weren't guest passes.

G

And then the other remaining question is the uh buying percentage. I think the 75 percent was a.

G

Very difficult hurdle for the neighborhood to meet when it was first proposed uh 75. I think.

G

Is the same amount required to ratify the constitution and we're not asking neighbors.

G

To do that here, so I think two-thirds or 66 percent might be a little more fair.

C

Councilor back I'll speak to that your honor. um I I kind of look at that as the real pivotal pivotal.

E

Number of this because, like I said before, it's got to be more than 50. and it's got to be less than.

E

100 because you'd never get to 100 and if you're doing it with less than 50. That just doesn't make.

E

Any sense so, what's a fair number that is achievable for a neighborhood that needs it.

E

But it's still, I mean at 66 we're still: uh we've got 33 of residents that are upset that.

E

This program is now part of their neighborhood, so that is, I think, the the difficult number we.

E

Have to come up with, and I did a lot of research and there does not seem to be an industry standard.

E

um Most of the industry standards uh that are in practice today for commercial parking.

E

Zones are from a book the high cost of free parking by donald trump and there's a lot.

E

Of research and there's a lot of work and and there's a lot of data driven solutions.

E

But they really relate to commercial retail areas like our downtown. They don't really.

E

Relate to neighborhoods and when you study the country and even the world.

E

Community or neighborhood parking programs, they come in a thousand different flavors.

E

So what we're talking about here tonight, we're kind of in a new situation where we could set.

E

Some parameters with good data, but I think the the most important number we're going to talk.

E

About is that what is the appropriate number for neighborhood buy-in to activate a program.

B

And I would think that would also probably end up on. You know uh how big the neighborhood is going.

B

To be, I bet if we were talking about putting a neighborhood parking program in front of one.

B

Person's house we could get either 100 or zero percent on that. So if we have three people's.

B

Houses, you know and there's some of these streets that you know have four or five uh houses on them.

B

And so you're kind of trying to figure out that I think is dependent upon also identifying are.

B

We doing it a street by street like what are the qualifications like from a and then, if we're doing.

B

It street by street, what are the like? I would love to not have to pass an ordinance each time.

B

Another street wants to come on, like you know, is it contiguous? Does it meet our our ability.

B

To enforce uh you know parking, why would you know you know? uh Why would somewhere? You know close to.

B

My neighborhoods need a need, a parking program, you know outside the downtown, so does it have to.

B

Already does it already have to abut a an existing uh metered parking approach, um and then you know.

B

How many houses have to be included in that or is it a street so identifying all of those like.

B

You know: does it have to be contiguous? How many? What constitutes the smallest area we can park.

B

And then we could get to, I think, defining what the what the number has to be in order to uh to.

B

To move forward with, you know, charging people for something that they are now getting uh for free.

C

Councilor cook, thank you, your honor. um I would be really reluctant to move forward with something.

I

That required, 200 spaces or anything even close to it, to move forward with a parking program in.

I

A certain area- and I speak to this as a resident of the south end where we do have parking problems.

I

But we really only have parking problems on certain streets and it's, it is very limited.

I

We actually only have street parking on a few streets that are in close proximity to downtown or.

I

Prescott park, um so there really aren't 200 spaces that we're talking about in this neighborhood and.

I

There are spaces within that neighborhood and and places where you probably wouldn't want.

I

um A parking program, so I would say, don't don't make the hurdle so high that it's.

I

Impossible for a neighborhood just because of their size to even apply for the program.

I

um Because I can see how and and this is always the discussion in our neighborhood.

I

I can see hancock, I can see gates. You know these are two streets that have parking that.

I

Is over utilized definitely, but then, if you keep going in the neighborhood there's very.

I

Little street parking frankly, there's street parking on mechanic. There's some unpleasant.

I

But only towards the end, you know, there's just there's just not a lot of street parking in.

I

The neighborhood, but then once you pass south mill pond, you don't have the same problems that.

I

You have, in the rest of the south end that you necessarily have with downtown workers parking.

I

During the day or people parking for a visit to prescott park, so it's really a small portion of.

I

The neighborhood with very little parking- and I don't think that everyone, even in that area.

I

Would be in favor of this program, but I can tell you you probably would get say 75 on gate street.

I

So so that's I. I just think that we should be really mindful of that that some of the streets.

I

That are closest to downtown are not going to ever constitute 200 spaces in a neighborhood.

B

Yeah- and I think um that's a good point- and it's also, uh I think, if it's a part of a an enforcement.

B

Area and it's growing out, it probably doesn't have to be 200 spaces because it's an extension.

B

Of what's already happening would like just to raise the point. You know we talked about.

B

We're talking about the downtown right now, but um if there is um we're talking about.

B

New development that doesn't always occur in the downtown so again understanding how we would tie.

B

um The amount of, uh or the ability to to have off street parking um you know, might be something that.

B

Comes up in the future, like the the west end yards, where you know definitely outside of the.

B

Downtown but they have a spillover effect and effect that they underestimated the amount of.

B

Parking that needed to go into there and there was a lot of people that were.

B

Feeling the pinch in terms of you know kate street, for example, of parking outside of of that. So.

B

There's a there's a lot that's going in. I would probably support something. I was a baby or you.

B

Know like a baby step in terms of solving the problem, that's in front of us with the islington.

B

But also being able to grow saying if we got a number of parkings, you know a number of houses.

B

That were joining to the downtown that could um that wanted the benefit of parking enforcement.

B

And were willing to pay for that benefit, so they could park um in their house because as soon as.

N

We bring something you know ideally you'd, be it's very next to the foundry garage like ideally like.

B

It would be, you know something that was more than the employee program at the parking garage, but.

B

Less for somebody, you know that that was living there um to be able to to get people to the garage.

C

Counselor tabor, um I also was at the presentation about with the.

J

Spiky graphs about the tax base and one of the keys to that high value tax base was mixed use.

J

um And, in other words, mixing together residential and business, so, for example, in the west end, we've.

J

Got restaurants on islington street, like the kitchen we've got a business on salem street.

J

With 32 employees, we've got the old shoe factory, that's got employees, and um you know one of the.

J

Downsides to this is, if you make residents, only parking, it's harder for those businesses for.

J

Their employees and their customers, I think the solution for that might be to go to the.

J

Approach that ben proposed in his little one and a half page treatment of of islington and he said.

J

Put out meters, it's a buck 50 an hour residents get their permit, the they are exempted.

J

What was your phrase? White white listed white listed tech, company yeah, um and so that way.

J

Customers to the restaurant or employees can still pay a small. You know pay for parking.

J

um And you know if somebody's an employee, if they live in maple haven and they commute into to work.

J

In that neighborhood they can buy a permit, but I think it's important. We consider the businesses.

J

Because mixed uses is a a lot of residents in the comments and and all the data we have.

J

The the islington creek project, a lot of people say they like.

J

A vibrant neighborhood that has employees that has restaurants that has activity.

B

All right, I think, I'm going to move or we can move to the uh the public comment. We.

B

Still have the process for moving forward, so we can answer and ask questions after.

B

But if anybody has anything that they would like to to stay, please come up.

B

To the microphone uh just state, your name, your city, and you have as much time as as.

B

You need here, given that I see only two people. So, oh three, sorry caught me in the back. Seven.

C

On two seven on zoom um so raise your hand if you'd like to say something on on zoom.

B

So I can tell how many people we're gonna limit the discussion nobody's raising their hand. Okay,.

O

Okay, thank you very much uh ken goldman 271 islington street. um First of all, I'd like to thank.

O

Council's uh bagley and moreau very much for that very thoughtful um and well done uh presentation.

O

It was really, um I think it really helped to capture parking in the city as a whole, rather than.

O

um You know just focusing on one: neighborhood is what we've done up to this point. um Just a couple.

O

Of uh things I'd like to talk about you talk about a sensible, fact-based approach and I think that's.

O

A really good way to do it, I mean, if you look at uh islington creek, where we've had the pilot.

O

For all these years, the facts have clearly shown that you have one section of the neighborhood that.

O

Is fairly dense and probably does need a parking program, then you have the other half that probably.

O

Does not um and the facts and if we follow that- and I think I heard people talking about looking.

O

At cutting down old neighborhood boundaries and being smart about it, I think that's a great idea.

O

I'd like to talk a little bit about guest passes, I think I think guest passes are a very good idea.

O

And for several reasons, number one right now there's an assumption that everybody has one.

O

Of these a smartphone, they can download the park mobile app and they can set up a park.

O

Mobile account and they're good to go well, I know people who have flip phones, they don't have any.

O

um They don't have any way to do uh park. Mobile uh one friend of mine doesn't even know how to text.

O

So the applicant means they will not be able to park in certain parts of our neighborhood.

O

If we, you know, we do park mobile, no, um no, no kiosks! You know it's something to consider. Also.

O

um When people come from out of town, the first thing they're going to have to do is.

O

um Set up the park, mobile app, set up an account uh hook up their credit card and do it and the.

O

Same for someone who's coming to do work at the house who may not have done uh work in this part.

O

Of portsmouth before so, I I think in a lot of ways having guest passes, make it very easy for.

O

The residents and their guests now I I personally almost never park on the street. I have a two-car.

O

Garage, I have two cars here in portsmouth and if I park on the street once a month, it's a lot and.

O

um You know I'd probably gotta get I'd, probably get a permit anyways just to be safe, but you.

O

Know my concern is mostly for people working at the house and for um the uh for guests.

O

If you do a petition um andrew put that up there, and I think we just need to be- if we're going to.

O

Do that be very clear about the boundaries of whatever area we're talking about, because.

O

um I don't know if any of you had a chance to see the uh email I sent in some of the videos.

O

But when they did that in islington creek back in 2019, it was a very malleable situation and.

O

The boundaries kept moving and it wasn't clear and people were on the petition, but then their.

O

Houses weren't included and that sort of stuff, so I think they need to be very clear.

O

um On the thing about going, you know possibly street by street again, you know, let's, let's think.

O

About that and be smart about it, I mean I live on aslington street uh and I cannot park in front of.

O

My house, for more than two hours ever, um it's just that's the way it's set up. um If I need to park on.

O

The street I typically park on either a cornwall or rockingham. uh That's where I would probably.

O

Park but if you're doing a street by street and you you know you talk to all the people on.

O

Rockingham and all the people on cornwall- and you don't include those of us in islington.

O

We could be back to where we were back in 2019, where there was a program and- and we were not.

O

Included so please look at that um and um really I appreciate the work everyone's done on this.

O

um I I hope that we're going to stop focusing on islington creek now and start looking at the city.

O

um As a whole islington creek, we did the study there. I mean we got mixed results uh depending.

O

On where we live, and I I think we should just roll that into whatever we're looking at for.

O

The rest of the city and give the people who live there, uh some relief right now.

O

um And uh that's all I have to say thank you very much. Thank you. Ken.

P

Hello, uh brooke stevens, I own property on hanover street 440 and 442 hanover street and I've owned.

P

That property for 42 years, almost as long as the the map that you showed earlier, I have that.

P

Map by the way I like that, now um the parking program I have tenants there in this building.

P

Now, and without the current parking program, they would be struggling to find parking places on.

P

Hanover street, the property I own is between rock and brewster. There are seven properties.

P

There there are four parking spaces, because you can only park on one side of the street.

P

So it makes it difficult. Thank god, there are 11 spaces at the end of rock street, which helps with.

P

The overflow, so without the neighborhood parking program, it's very difficult for the tenants in.

P

That area, coincidentally, a couple weeks ago, I was driving through and I spoke to one of the parking.

P

Attendants and uh brooks sir, do you mind speaking closer yeah just for the folks that, coincidentally,.

P

A couple weeks ago I was driving through and I was speaking to one of the parking attendants.

P

And I asked myself how's the program going and he got replies. I think it's working great.

P

um All the workers are not parking, the neighborhood anymore, all the patrons to.

P

Downtown are not parking in the neighborhood, and the residents have their neighborhood back.

P

They go yeah, it's what I feel as well and he goes on to say. I don't think it's necessary.

P

Again, speaking to councilor tabor's point from brewster up farther to rockingham, I forget all.

P

The names of the streets he says from brewster to bridge is the identified area that he feels.

P

The program should stay intact, so I agree with spots parking that not all streets really need.

P

The program only certain streets need the program. So as far as the cost and speaking to my tenants.

P

And other people, I think it's a minimal cost 125 bucks a day and it figures out the 30 cents, a.

P

Day to get a parking pass to park, your car in your neighborhood is well worth the fee that.

P

Would that it would take so just a few of my comments. Thank you. Thank you very much brooks.

N

Good evening elizabeth bradder property owner of 159 mcdonough street and 3 342 cabot street in.

N

This particular in the islington neighborhood. um I have owned that property for 40 years this year.

N

Was our 40-year anniversary in november and I have watched the neighborhood grow? I have.

N

I, when I moved in people kind of shuddered at the thought of, why did you buy a house there and now.

N

People are fighting to get in there, but what's interesting about the neighborhood and there are.

N

A lot of neighborhoods in portsmouth, which have this is that there are a lot of units that have.

N

No parking at all or they have a driver. We have a couple there's one on cabot that I can think.

N

Of offhand and our house is another one that we technically have a driveway, but you can only own.

N

A mini cooper to park there. If you have a family, you can park there, so you can't fit in anything.

N

Bigger than a mini cooper and it's hard to fit a family of four, the other question I wanted.

N

To ask all of you is how many of you walked here today or wrote in in something other than the car.

N

So when portsmouth looks at parts is our only chance. Yes, he was running late and so.

B

Was I and josh and I usually do walk, but um he was running late and so his eyes.

N

So we drove so the reality for me is that it's very idealistic 20 years ago, when the.

N

Parking programs were brought up and letters were sent and people asked about it. They all.

N

Said, don't worry, nobody's going to be driving a car anymore, because the neighborhood is so.

N

Close to downtown and this and that and this and that, but that's not really true, and if.

N

You have a walking disability, as my husband does. You know, he's not walking downtown he's going to.

N

Keep circling until he finds a spot. Luckily, he has a handicap plate, so he can usually find one.

N

um I personally walk because I can never find a space, but the reality is in when you're making.

N

This choice and when you look at all of the things that were presented by mr bagley and by miss.

N

Moreau I want you to think about. The reality is that most people do drive and the west end yards.

N

Proved that that most people do own a car and it's my experience as having been a landlord for over.

N

30 well, over 40 years, because when we bought our house, it came with the second house that every.

N

Bedroom is usually a car, so you have to think of it that way. So, even though west end yards use.

N

The minimum standards that portsmouth says that they need they asked for more because they're, an.

N

Enclosed neighborhood and they really had no place to go with their excess parking. Unlike.

N

Other neighborhoods, the great thing about the neighborhood parking program that happened was the.

N

Businesses that are next to my location only had three permits the maximum of what's interesting.

N

Is the landlord that owns the property that has all these businesses did not open up his spaces?.

N

For free to his tenants, they still could only get three passes through the city, so that seemed to be.

N

A good spot, and the other thing that everybody forgets about is that when people receive.

N

Cups, there is no one who enforces that cup. So an example is there, a lot of cups were given to.

N

The businesses in the safeway storage building, but the city cannot enforce them to use their.

N

Parking lot, if the landlord chooses to charge for it, so my thought is is if you give someone a cup.

N

You might want to include an ordinance that says if you're, given a cup the parking that.

N

You say will be happening in your parking. Lot will actually be happiness as such. So that's one one of.

N

The other issues people forget about so generally speaking, I like the way you guys are thinking. It's.

N

It's very tricky. The concept to me when I look at parking is shared parking. So during the day.

N

With the parking permit program in the islington creek neighborhood, the people who worked left.

N

And the people who had businesses or were going to businesses came and parked and at the end.

N

Of the day, the majority of people left and went home and the business the people who lived there.

N

Came and stayed there was enough room during the day, except for on the hanover street end.

N

Which is always like a mob scene down there, but there was enough room during the day. On our end.

N

Which is the other piece? Because we have so many businesses where we are um that we could share.

N

Those spaces and I'm a big proponent of sharing spaces, because it's environmentally very poor to.

N

Have lots of empty spaces, but that's the trick and that's the hardest part about parking generally.

N

And I think we should call it a parking management program as dover does, because when you call it a.

N

Neighborhood program a lot of times, people have a very interesting perception of what.

N

That means, and since what you have suggested is possibly looking at streets or blocks or.

N

Smaller areas, I agree that you should probably take that out of the name. Generally speaking,.

N

um I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. Please take your time and if you need to put it.

N

Off it's a winter, there will be no parking in our neighborhood because we have bump outs and they.

N

Don't plow our bump outs, our pump outs, we shovel out ourselves if you want a place to park and you.

N

Better believe someone else will take your space as soon as you shovel it. So thank you very much.

B

Thank you, chris, uh a lot of great points in there we have a a few folks on zoom, we'll start with.

B

um Karina and then all right, so um oh we'll we'll do it now, um as anybody else.

B

I see another hand nicole just raise your hand, anybody else that wants to speak. uh Please do.

B

So now I'm just trying to manage the the time that we have first up, we have karina.

M

Go ahead karina.

Q

Hear me yep: we can hear you okay, great sorry. I have not done this before so uh karina. Quintan's.

Q

51 mcdonough street, um which falls into the islington islington creek neighborhood.

Q

I have what I want to call a rhetorical question that I'm I just wanted to challenge some thinking.

Q

Including my own, I have not thought through my question that well, but I'm speaking to the point.

Q

Of if you have, for example, 51 that want the court, the parking program and 49 that don't.

Q

um This is a situation, for example, that we've been in for a long time in which.

Q

There's a there's a bias towards the no um the no position to move forward with this and I've.

Q

Certainly been on many arguments on the no side, I'm on the yes side in this particular situation,.

Q

um I guess my question is: how long does the no bias stand, because when we say that.

Q

If there's 51 percent that want it and 49 that, don't then we're going to have 49 of.

Q

The people pissed off that they have a parking program, but the alternative way.

Q

To look at that is that you're going to have 51 of the people that have wanted it for 15 years.

Q

Pissed off in the reverse scenario, so I I don't know what the answer is. I'm just trying.

Q

To challenge the no bias that we often have when we're looking at a long time problem that has been.

Q

Advocated for for as long as I've lived here and longer than I've lived here, so I'm not sure if I.

Q

Articulated that very well, but I that's my attempt at putting this rhetorical question out there.

Q

And I don't need an answer right now. I guess it's just we can't we, uh so we won't be able.

B

To answer you uh right now karina, but I I think you did answer the question. Well, our goal isn't.

B

To have 50 pissed off at the other 50 it's to have a hundred percent pissed off equally.

B

Upset with whatever uh we do, but hopefully it's a small uh percentage, but thank you.

B

For for calling or for for joining us um next up, we have uh byron. um Byron, four is yours,.

R

uh Hi good evening, everyone um yeah um thanks so much for digging in on this really hairy.

R

Problem not a lot of good answers um and byron. Do you mind just stating your full name? I know we see.

B

It on the screen, yes, uh 17 fields, road. Thank you um yeah. I was saying not a lot of good answers.

R

Here um I'm not gonna help with that either. um I just wanted to, and uh I think the previous.

R

Two speakers ago, and then maybe mr brooks they were talking about- I think mr brooks it was his.

R

Name was speaking to um on hanover street there's, so many units there's only like four four spaces.

R

Available I mean like, even if I mean so the reason I bring up. That point is because, even if you were.

R

Able to manage that so that it was only for a specific group of people or you're trying to sort.

R

Of um create a scenario in which those folks are able to park, there isn't enough parking for those.

R

Folks and because that's because fundamentally um I don't think a city really is designed around the.

R

Premise that everyone should be able to park a car like every bedroom has a car, and that was to the.

R

Speaker following him point about sort of there's this idealistic view around. um Oh, we won't need.

R

The parking because everyone will walk and that hasn't materialized, and I I just want to offer.

R

That to some degree that may be the case because we continue to make policy and, to some degree.

R

Subsidize that specific behavior um and the reason why the change isn't coming is because uh we don't.

R

Want to do the really difficult thing of actually paying what it costs to park a car in a space.

R

um And then um further, like one of the reasons, there's so many edge cases around, oh, which streets.

R

Is it and who does it, apply to and those sorts of questions, and it gets really hard to sort of logic.

R

Your way through that is because um it's it's sort of an anti-pattern to public space in general.

R

um And so I know that's not helpful at all, but I wanted to offer that perspective and.

R

um Thank you all for all the work you do. Thank you thanks.

B

Byron good to hear from you uh next up uh robin husic. uh The floor is yours.

S

Hi this is robin hessledge. I live at 27 rock street.

S

um Right around the corner, from uh hanover and in a hotly um hot parking area, where we got a lot of.

S

People parking, and my personal experience is that the neighborhood parking program has hugely helped.

S

With the problem that we had where you just, there was no place to park on the street, and I've talked.

S

To a number of neighbors, who have really felt- and somebody mentioned earlier- that the neighborhood.

S

The feeling of a neighborhood has really returned with the neighborhood parking program.

S

That it, it feels like a neighborhood, not a parking lot, and I was talking to another neighbor that was.

S

Saying they moved in, um it was maybe maybe the the year before the neighborhood parking program.

S

And they were seriously they, they bought a house, you know moved and everything they.

S

Were seriously considering, selling and leaving the neighborhood, because the parking was so.

S

Bad and it did not feel like what they thought they were buying into, which was a neighborhood.

S

And they said with the neighborhood parking program that completely flipped.

S

So if you want islington creek to be a neighborhood with you know, families.

S

And you know a vibrant neighborhood, then some sort of parking solution.

S

Is really necessary, um and I also um echo what I think was ken goldman said about the guest pass.

S

um You know those 41 or whatever the percent is that don't want the par the parking program.

S

They will want to engage with a parking program because of that free guest pass. It's critical.

S

To really making the program successful, um it's hugely important, so I really encourage you to.

S

Include that guest pass because it will make it will really make it workable for everyone.

S

um So that's all I had to say thank you so much for everything that you've done and.

S

The excellent presentations tonight, thank you thanks robin all right. I don't think we have.

B

Any more speakers on zoom or in the room- and I want to thank everybody for being a part of.

M

That and for those nicole's having trouble with their hand nicole, you know we can bring you up.

B

I was surprised that nicole had nothing to say good evening. Can you hear me? Yes, we can nicole.

T

Oh, thank you very much, uh nicole up here, 44 rock street.

T

um It's not a secret to any of you, but I think that the islington creek neighborhood parking.

T

Pilot had many successes, and one of which was the people who now park on the streets are affiliated.

T

With the neighborhood versus before the majority were people um parking all day whether they were.

T

Working downtown or tourists, so I would echo what robin said about it feeling more like a.

T

Neighborhood and we are very blessed to have a beautiful rock street park and in the time the.

T

Couple decades I've lived here, there are so many more young families. My own children use that park.

T

All the time, other kids, the last thing I want to see is one of our kids getting hit by a car.

T

That zipping around looking for parking when they're going to their park.

T

um A little dark, but sorry um I want to thank uh beth moreau and andrew bagley. Both counselors gave.

T

An excellent presentation- and I truly appreciate all the research they put into it, and I also.

T

Really appreciate the thoughtful discussion all of you are having for me. I followed this issue for so.

T

Many years so to hear it coming to, finally being literally on the table and not kicked a can, kicked.

T

Further down the road, I really appreciate it and I look forward uh to the work you're doing and.

T

And the study, so thank you all very much. It's much appreciated have a great evening. Thank you, nicole.

B

um And I think that tees up our if that is the last speaker, I think it is. I think that tease up.

B

Kind of what the next steps are we're not deciding this today, but we should decide it by december 5th.

B

um So whether or not that's a study, whether that's a you know, have a motion uh that we discuss on the.

B

Council in their council meeting, I think that we have as much information as we're going to to have.

B

To make a call on december 5th, and I would look forward to having a motion under somebody's name.

B

To discuss, maybe councilman rose to discuss what that looks like it could be. You know.

B

Could be further study in terms of you know, through the winter and and waiting for a report.

B

Back as as liz said, you know it's this, the the winter time is not the peak season uh for parking.

B

um So I do think we have a little time. I do think that this is a bigger problem.

B

um Not a bigger problem, but a bigger opportunity than just essington creek. It's you know this is.

B

The our proxy war for all of the problems uh in the entire city when it comes to parking.

B

um And so a lot has been brought to that, but I would love to to have.

B

um I'd love to have a a path uh forward that again balances a lot of competing interests.

B

That might not be as robust as this pilot program, but as somebody I walked this neighborhood almost.

B

Daily uh council moreau, I wasn't going to tell you, but I picked up my dog pooped in.

B

Front of your house today, thank you. um So I was picking up poop in front of your house.

B

um I think there is a um uh there is a uh a a great neighborhood feel in the rock street.

B

Park, there's a lot that's going on and you know I frankly like being able to get it's easier to.

B

Get a parking spot to go to the kitchen than it was previously, so I do think there's a lot.

B

Of intangibles that aren't not going to come up on, maybe some of ben's uh data-driven maps and.

B

It's try to how do we get those into a program, but are there any further questions from the.

B

Council of city staff, or each other uh and as everybody at least somewhat in agreement, that.

B

That by the fifth, we will have a motion that we can decide what to do with. Even if that motion.

B

Is to wait uh but to to give the residents an idea of what comes next, because the parking.

B

Program will end on the fourth, and so the fifth seems like a good time to uh to discuss that.

C

I just have a comment, your honor to one of the speakers. I probably.

E

Walked to nine out of 10 meetings, but I did drive today all right. It's.

I

Cold, I went asked counselor bagley walks through the other meetings.

B

Any other uh questions I I want to thank councilman councilor bagley. This is a a lot.

B

Of work went into this when I saw this on my email, I thought we were going to be here for an hour and.

B

A half simply going through your slides, so thank you for uh making that presentation. I hope every.

B

Business meeting that I sit through gets through those slides as effectively as as the two of you.

B

Did I think, there's a lot in here and hopefully it's set the stage for the conversation that.

B

Will happen on the 5th and every uh folk that are zooming in please? Let us know uh things.

B

That you'd like us to consider and please take a look at the agenda when it's released before.

B

The december 5th meeting so that you have an idea of what is going to be on the table for.

B

Us to discuss, but thank you again for putting this together and with that uh we'll adjourn.