[Vision2020] Business parking

[Joan Opyr]

On 14 Dec 2005, at 23:03, Pat Kraut wrote:

> So, if we get the NSA out and some other business goes in then when we 
> have trouble finding a parking spot we have no complaints? I have 
> lived here since 1962 and can tell you that the complaints about 
> parking are not new. It is one of the reasons the UI let the mall go 
> in and that didn't help either. The 1912 building razed would have 
> provided some spots!

If NSA moves to an appropriately-zoned district, then yes, I think it 
will help.  You're quite right that parking downtown has always been a 
problem, one that I hope the new City Council will address, but NSA's 
students certainly exacerbate the problem.  The Central Business 
District is not a suitable location for a college of 150-200 students 
plus faculty and staff; that's why educational institutions are 
expressly forbidden in the CBD.  Main Street, Washington, Jackson (on 
the right-hand side), the Jackson Street public lot should be reserved 
for retail use.  There's a three-hour parking limit downtown to keep 
the traffic moving; that's adequate for a bit of shopping and a bite of 
lunch.  It's not adequate for a bit of shopping, a bite of lunch, and 
several hours worth of classes in Lordship, Leadership, Headship, and 
all the rest of that ship taught at NSA.

I appreciate your 43-year perspective on the downtown parking problems, 
Pat.  It's clearly high time City Council did something to improve the 
situation.  It's also the case, however, that allowing New St. Andrews 
to remain where it currently is is not part of any parking solution; 
it's part of the problem.

About the 1912 Building -- yes, if we knocked it to the ground, we 
could lay down some asphalt and create a few parking spaces, but I 
think the loss of that building would be terrible.  Like the Old Post 
Office, the David's building, and the Moscow Hotel, the 1912 Building 
is one of Moscow's most beautiful.  I would no sooner knock it down to 
create more parking than I'd set fire to the McConnell Mansion.  In 
this case, I think historical value outweighs my shopping convenience.  
(I also don't want to knock down the Skattaboe, nor do I want to force 
Doug Wilson to sell up and move out.  If he can find an appropriate 
legal use for his beautifully remodeled building, then more power to 
him.  A Christian bookstore; a bakery; a coffee shop; a Kirk Dollar 
Store -- all would be fine by me and perfectly within the law.  The 
Skattaboe is simply not suitable for an educational institution; large 
non-commercial schools do not belong in the CBD.  Period.)

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
www.joanopyr.com


-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 2697 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20051215/0b033e07/attachment.bin