Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Parking (was Building with Equal Access & Preparing for electric cars on site)

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Feb 16, 2015, at 11:22 AM, Muriel Kranowski <murielk [at] vt.edu> wrote:

> The disagreement remains the same,
> between those who prefer our current informal allocation of one closer and
> one farther-away space per unit with no Reserved Parking signs (so
> sometimes you might come home and find only a very far-away space to park
> because a visitor innocently parked in "your" spot) and those who want to
> formally allocate two spaces per unit, one closer and one farther away, the
> spaces to convey with the units.

Before we moved in, the issue of assigned or unassigned spaces came up. The 
comment that sealed the deal concerned a doctor who came home at all hours of 
the night and for safety needed a set place to park. It is faster and more 
assured. Less exposure to possible lurkers.

So we have always had assigned parking but people trade all the time for one 
reason or another. It is also more relaxing to pull into an assigned spot than 
know you have to look for one.

Some spaces are for compact cars and some for full size. We had far less 
problem with people parking in the wrong spaces or parking in the lot when they 
weren't supposed to when we numbered the spaces. That signaled "reserved." It 
still happens sometimes but not as frequently as before.

There isn't a huge difference in how far the parking spaces are from the CH but 
some homes are far from the parking lot. Those people often park in the street 
for that reason. It's much closer.

The idea that parking near the CH will mean people will come in the CH has not 
proven true. And having a common parking lot I don't think has led to more 
interaction, perhaps for some. I don't drive everyday. But I don't think 
putting parking on the outside of the community requires having all the parking 
in one place. If it can be done without creating roads that have to be 
maintained, I think it would be preferable to have cars or other transportation 
near homes.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org