Dear Transportation Board Members,

Michael Sandman said something outside of the Selectmen Hearing Room last Tuesday that resonated with me. He said that his task was to create a parking plan for all of Brookline, not just Coolidge Corner. Those were wise words and I tried to incorporate them thinking into our plan. Much of the Transportation Board’s proposed legislation is included in our plan.

Part of our plan needed to address the havoc that the Beacon Street Construction Project is going to have on the parking situation in Coolidge Corner. Our suggested plan calls for some things to be done before construction is complete and some after.

The research we’ve done in Cambridge and Somerville indicates there is precedent for a commercial parking permit program. The goal being to keep employee parking on the perimeter of commercial areas on residential streets so that residents can utilize metered spots to shop and dine. Most of Brookline is not a convenient walking distance from commercial areas, the largest being Coolidge Corner.

We also wanted to take into consideration a real willingness on the part of the business community to share some of the burden for parking education. Most of the active CCMA members are hard-working entrepreneurs. Many are present and past residents of Brookline. We feel we add a unique flavor to Brookline that the national chains don’t. If my math is right, the commercial tax rate is 75% higher than the residential rate and we have no issue with it. We have no issue with paying $300 per year to pay for a parking permit that would cost a resident $25. We feel increased signage is vital to best utilize available parking and we are willing help out as much as we are able to help with that cost.

Finally, we wanted to add something we can all agree on. From my conversation with David Friend last summer and last Tuesday, and conversations with Michael Sandman, I think I can safely say that we all agree that Coolidge Corner simply needs more parking.

Thank you,

R. Harvey Bravman
Co-Chair Coolidge Corner Merchants Association