MARCH UPDATE: Climate change & the Councilor

In this update, I outline how my city legislative priorities are tied to Climate Change

1. Parking
2. Zoning
3. Connectivity
4. Solar initiatives
5. Office Hours

 

1. Parking

If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know that I’m passionate about parking. Parking:

• makes housing and commerce more expensive,
• distorts the look and walkability of village centers and
• creates heat islands.

But one of the least-appreciated effects of ample, cheap parking is that it induces driving. Your choice to drive rather than use another mode for short trips is affected by three things:

1. Whether there’s a car in your driveway
2. The amount of cheap, available parking at your destination
3. How comfortable (i.e. safe & pleasant) your trip is via transit, foot, or bike

Even item [c] is essentially about parking. Too much parking makes your trip windswept and unpleasant—or if it is structured, it can mean an ugly blank wall or unnecessarily tall, monolithic buildings along your walk.
 
In Massachusetts, the rough estimate is that 40% of current emissions (and climbing!) is transportation – which, if you’ve been reading your congestion reporting, is driving cars.
 
Cruising for parking also creates emissions—which is why I and colleagues have docketed an item to allow the City to charge the lowest price necessaryto free up public, metered spaces. In some cases, this will raise the meter price, in some it will lower the meter price. City staff will assess the effectiveness of the price change every six months. If it needs further adjustment, and if they can remove time limits (I hear you, Newton Centre!), they will.
 
Surface parking lots also contribute to heat island effect. But in many cases, they are required by our Zoning Code, which is why I support removing parking minimums in the Zoning Redesign. Because we want developers to produce the least amount of parking necessary to create a successful development, not some arbitrary number in a 1950s-era “parking handbook.”
 

1. Zoning

Of course, if all of your destinations are far from where you live, driving is essential. That’s why getting Zoning Redesign right is so critical to advancing Newton’s climate goals. The draft we have before us moves the needle—some would say not enough—to adding housing and commerce near transit. Newton and the rest of the communities within 128 need to add enough housing that is affordable to our employees (both public and private—our firefighters, police officers, teachers, city staff, nurses, etc.). Otherwise, expect to see more parking lots instead of parks or homes near schools, etc.
 

1. Connectivity

I have joined other councilors and the mayor in advocating for better transit service, better stations and bus stops and more frequency of trains and buses to serve Newton. The City has some areas we can control around transit:

• make buses faster by giving them signal priority (red lights that turn green when a bus approaches).
• move stops to the far side of signals.
• add bus shelters. (fun fact—not having a shelter is one of the most-cited reasons to not take the bus)
• But where the City has the most leverage is in adding pedestrian connections (bike connections, too) to stops. That means sidewalks, safe crossings, but also off-road connections like the Upper Falls Greenway. I’ve been working
  • to ensure that the Greenway connects to and under Rt. 9 at Winchester Street, and
  • to get a bridge and connection to Needham on the Greenway spur.
  • I support completing the bike network (and have filed a docket item to advance it), and
  • connecting the parks near Riverside to the station site. Talk about a pleasant walk to the train!

 

1. Solar Initiatives

If you have read this far, you have probably guessed that I support all the installations in the Solar Phase III proposed by the mayor. We can quibble about aesthetics. But the number of trees to be removed or relocated has been reduced to just a few. The cut trees will be replaced and then some within the same neighborhood. No tree trimming is necessary for the realigned installations. And we will see our electricity production increase to about 40% of municipal and school electricity use. Of course, most of Newton’s energy use is in the private sector (mostly residential), but at least the municipal fossil fuel budget can be reduced, and set an example for the rest of us.
 

1. Office Hours

I’m always happy to chat in more depth at my office hours.

• Saturday, March 16. 9:30 -11:00 am at Central in Newton Centre. Am sharing with Councilor Noel, so the joint will be hopping!
• Saturday April 6th 10-11:30 am at L'Aroma in West Newton

All the best--
​Andreae