Update: The Aug. 27 Traffic Commission meeting that was supposed to discuss this issue was cancelled due to quorom issues, see https://www.framinghamma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3072
Much to my surprise, it appears that the developer of the new retail/residential project on Water Street (next to the CVS at the corner of Water and Edgell Road) wants to add seven on-street parking spaces on Water Street in front of that building.
Why a surprise? We were told that there was no room for bike lanes up to the Water Street/Edgell Road intersection because motorized vehicles needed all available road width. No Complete Street here! (“A Complete Street is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes - walking, biking, transit and vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities.” This project has not prioritized the first two very much.)
Even though the Framingham Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (2017) specifically states that Nobscot is among “pockets of density . . . that lend themselves to better bicycle and pedestrian facilities.” And the city’s website still boasts about a Complete Streets Plan Framingham adopted when we were still a town.
How can there be room to add on-street parking when there wasn’t enough room for a bike lane?
Apparently by moving back the newly built existing sidewalk. That seems like it would also make it more difficult to include attractive landscaping with benches in front of the building on Water Street. A number of Nobscot residents are also concerned about putting on-street parking right at the busy intersection, potentially making an already congested area even worse as cars try to parallel park into and pull out of the spots.
According to latest information posted on social media, the developer needs what’s called a street opening permit to do so.
“The owner applied for a street opening permit to put 7 spaces in on Water St.,” District 1 City Councilor Christine Long posted on Facebook in response to a resident’s query. “I questioned it since parking is prohibited from end to end on both sides of Water Street. So I stopped it from being issued and requested a meeting with traffic commission to discuss.”
That discussion is expected to happen at the Traffic Commission’s meeting this Tuesday, Aug. 27 starting at 7 pm.
If you would like to attend the meeting to find out more or show neighborhood interest in the issue, it is in the Ablondi Room at City Hall or on Zoom at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84092700644?pwd=jrbSvR9CKazOKTMxWY5xSZzDVGhopO.1
Passcode: 387186
If you are opposed to parking on Water Street, there is a change.org petition at https://www.change.org/p/don-t-allow-parking-on-water-st that might be of interest. When I last looked, it had 227 signatures. Disclosure: I’ve signed it. I believe that a change of this importance should first be fully discussed with the neighborhood. And I’d like to hear why we might ignore Complete Streets and our Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. And why using yet more public space for people’s private motorized vehicles is more important than creating better pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and the village-type streetscape that residents were told this development would offer.
Note: This Nobscot development is now in District 3, across the street from the start of District 1. However, it used to be in District 2 until the recent re-districting, and I believe a lot of District 2 residents still consider that intersection part of our local neighborhood as well, even though our district boundary now ends at Potter Road.
Sign up for the District 2 email-list.