Reasons offered in a recent letter in the Plymouth Independent questioning the addition of 90 new parking spaces at Nathaniel Morton Elementary School missed the mark. Limiting impervious surfaces and reducing the potential for contaminant runoff into the harbor is always beneficial. But adding shared parking spaces at this location won’t change society’s preference for large vehicles; it doesn’t argue for smaller (compact) parking spaces, and it won’t reduce harmful stormwater runoff.
Most parking lots, and the Town Hall garage, in Plymouth already have a mix of full-size and compact parking spaces, and I suspect the expanded school lot will too. And reducing the number or dimensions of parking spaces in Plymouth to compact size won’t force Plymouthians to buy smaller cars – they will still park in any vacant parking space (however small), or they will find someplace else to shop and dine. Moreover, reducing the size and number of current parking spaces to accommodate smaller vehicles only increases the number of cars parked in a lot – and those additional cars will increase the amount of oil, grease, and other contaminants that might accumulate and run off the pavement in that same lot.
The proposed parking space expansion at the school is also located on the periphery of the downtown away from congested areas and waterfront – where it should be. And if it turns out to be free, people will be encouraged to park there – where we want them to park. The PGDC/Park Plymouth has market-based parking pricing in place and is already using that revenue to pay for the new lot’s construction and the Ride Circuit shuttle, all without Town or taxpayer money.
It’s a forced narrative to claim that adding 90 parking spaces at the school reflects an “obsession with waterfront parking” or ad hoc reaction to a perceived “parking crisis.” Without a persuasive argument, the expanded parking lot at Nathaniel Morton Elementary School is fittingly described as a “win-win” for the school and Plymouth community.
– David Friend