Parking Study for Oath

[jlauspitz.livejournal.com]

Here is the link to the parking study commissioned by the Oath applicants for a Special Permit at the hearing today:

http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Parking%20Study%202015-12-18.pdf

On the basis of a survey of 385 patrons of Chipotle during a three-day period in October 2015 the consultants report that 29.6% of the customers arrived by car or carpool. They conclude that the current parking in Davis Square is adequate to absorb the burden of the proposed 16-seat 90-second pizza restaurant adjoining Chipotle.

In this report, as elsewhere in the documentation, there is no estimate of the balance between take-out and sit-down business in the Oath business model, and therefore no attention to the obvious problem of idling or circling cars at a choke-point in Davis Square. It is assumed (implausibly) that all car-borne patrons will park and sit down for a meal.

For the dossier to be complete under the change-of-use regulations for fast food establishments, the issue of pizza pick-up and its effect on traffic flow, visibility, car-pedestrian interaction should be addressed.

There would appear to be two scenarios: the current traffic set up with a slip lane from Highland to Elm, and the proposed scenario in which the slip lane is transformed into a pedestrian plaza.

Comments

[jlauspitz.livejournal.com]

For convenience of reference here is the staff report summary (from page 4) of the traffic permitting requirements for a fast food establishment:

"In considering a special permit under §9.13 of
the SZO the Applicant must be able to demonstrate
that granting the requested special permit would not
cause detriment to the surrounding neighborhood through
any of the criteria as set forth under SZO §9.13,
which are as follows:
1)
increase in traffic volumes;
2)
increased traffic congestion or queuing of vehicles;
3)
change in the type(s) of traffic;
4)
change in traffic patterns and access to the site;
5)
reduction in on-street parking;
6)
unsafe conflict of motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic. .."

The staff report concludes: "The Applicant has submitted a parking study sufficient to make this determination."

However, since the Applicant has not supplied the City or the parking consultant with its expected balance between sit-down and take-out customers, the only determination that can be made from the data falls under #5, reduction in on-street parking. The issue of idling, queuing or circling vehicular traffic remains to be addressed. The small size of establishment (13 rather than 16 seats are pictured on the floorplan) suggests that expected take out trade is not inconsiderable.

[ron_newman]

The pedestrian plaza will help in warm weather months, as it will make it easy for people who order take-out to cross the street and eat outdoors.