Alan Moore <al...@pathfriends.org>: Feb 09 11:14AM -0500
been reading all the month's posts with interest.
I agree with David and think these are important points to consider with regard to the car parking issue.
Does anyone have any data on car ownership at Assembly for residents there? With all the parking there, renters who require a car can choose there.
Alan
If someone knowingly chose to live in a car-free apartment, and later
decides they want a car because of a job change, then they can move.
I'm okay with that.
Caring for a disabled person is different. I think it would be
reasonable for Copper Mill to include handicap parking, and perhaps also
some parking for short-term use (eg, no or limited overnight use).
However, I think the most important consideration is to prohibit parking
from being *bundled* with housing, because bundling *encourages* car use.
On 02/09/2026 10:43 AM EST David Booth <da...@dbooth.org> wrote:
On 2/9/26 08:02, Michael Chiu wrote:
The zero parking aspect of the general discussion re: Davis development
is one that doesn't quite make sense to me.
Understood that many people can live quite comfortably without owning a
car and this is easier due to proximity of public transport, bike lanes,
etc... This is great for them at that time in their life. However, life
and priorities can change; your job might move to the suburbs, you might
have to support an elderly parent or maybe you become disabled (or
old). If any of these happen, does it mean that you have to move out
as there are no options for a car?
If someone knowingly chose to live in a car-free apartment, and later
decides they want a car because of a job change, then they can move.
I'm okay with that.
Caring for a disabled person is different. I think it would be
reasonable for Copper Mill to include handicap parking, and perhaps also
some parking for short-term use (eg, no or limited overnight use).
However, I think the most important consideration is to prohibit parking
from being *bundled* with housing, because bundling *encourages* car use.
For many, cars aren't a convenience
or a form of recreation, they are a component of their livelihood.
Agreed. But I do not think we should make accommodations for car
reliant people to live virtually on top of a major public transport hub,
because that housing would much better serve people who are not car reliant.
Thanks,
David Booth
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<hu...@comcast.net>: Feb 09 10:56PM -0500
Are the questions Deb raises what people who fear the proposed project is out of scale with the current square are concerned about? It seems to me that this post poses questions that get at where the rubber hits the road (both literally and metaphorically) for this project. What will be the effects on the texture of life for all residents of Davis Square, both in the proposed tower and in the surrounding area? These questions at the very least deserve a careful, independent analysis.
Thank you, Deb, for raising these important points.
-Hume
-----Original Message-----
From: daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Deborah Pacini
Sent: Monday, February 9, 2026 11:20 AM
To: David Booth <da...@dbooth.org>
Cc: daviss...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [DSNC] 13-story and other alternatives for Copper Mill project
I’ve been following these conversations with interest, but haven’t commented yet. IMHO the car issue should not only be about parking, but more about the effect on street traffic of people with or without cars. 500 units are likely to generate hundreds of cars delivering food, packages, Uber/Lyft pickups/dropoffs, and so on, not to mention the problems that will be experienced by others who provide services to residents in the building when there’s not enough parking nearby, e.g. appliance repair people, home health aides, house cleaners, guests invited to a dinner party, and so on. Davis square is already experiencing the problem of cars double parking for pickups and deliveries, so I imagine what it will look like when hundreds more people needing services move in. I’d be interested in hearing others’ thoughts about this.
Best,
Deb
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Dan Ehrlich.dan <ehrli...@gmail.com>: Feb 10 08:51AM -0500
Parking / Social Engineering:
Actually we have the data and it proves the opposite. For renters in this
price range the average is slightly more than 1 car per unit.
One of the assets of living here is that, unlike NYC for example, people
can enjoy the countryside. If you have the money, you want a car.
Best,
Dan
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Elizabeth Merrick <ebm...@comcast.net>: Feb 10 09:08AM -0500
Speaking of cars, even aside from the parking issue, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what someone else brought up recently: the vehicle log jams and problems that would be created simply by deliveries, even apart from the park (which I believe is a serious issue ).
500 new households jammed into one block, I can just picture the Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS, grocery, restaurant and retail delivery vehicles on our narrow streets in Davis! How many ways can we say "out of scale for this neighborhood"!
Elizabeth Merrick
Get Outlook for Android
From: daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Dan Ehrlich.dan <ehrli...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 8:51:59 AM
To: Alan Moore <al...@pathfriends.org>
Cc: David Booth <da...@dbooth.org>; daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [DSNC] 13-story and other alternatives for Copper Mill project
Parking / Social Engineering:
Actually we have the data and it proves the opposite. For renters in this price range the average is slightly more than 1 car per unit.
One of the assets of living here is that, unlike NYC for example, people can enjoy the countryside. If you have the money, you want a car.
Best,
Dan
On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 5:19 PM Alan Moore <al...@pathfriends.org> wrote:
been reading all the month's posts with interest.
I agree with David and think these are important points to consider with regard to the car parking issue.
Does anyone have any data on car ownership at Assembly for residents there? With all the parking there, renters who require a car can choose there.
Alan
If someone knowingly chose to live in a car-free apartment, and later
decides they want a car because of a job change, then they can move.
I'm okay with that.
Caring for a disabled person is different. I think it would be
reasonable for Copper Mill to include handicap parking, and perhaps also
some parking for short-term use (eg, no or limited overnight use).
However, I think the most important consideration is to prohibit parking
from being *bundled* with housing, because bundling *encourages* car use.
On 02/09/2026 10:43 AM EST David Booth <da...@dbooth.org> wrote:
On 2/9/26 08:02, Michael Chiu wrote:
The zero parking aspect of the general discussion re: Davis development
is one that doesn't quite make sense to me.
Understood that many people can live quite comfortably without owning a
car and this is easier due to proximity of public transport, bike lanes,
etc... This is great for them at that time in their life. However, life
and priorities can change; your job might move to the suburbs, you might
have to support an elderly parent or maybe you become disabled (or
old). If any of these happen, does it mean that you have to move out
as there are no options for a car?
If someone knowingly chose to live in a car-free apartment, and later
decides they want a car because of a job change, then they can move.
I'm okay with that.
Caring for a disabled person is different. I think it would be
reasonable for Copper Mill to include handicap parking, and perhaps also
some parking for short-term use (eg, no or limited overnight use).
However, I think the most important consideration is to prohibit parking
from being *bundled* with housing, because bundling *encourages* car use.
For many, cars aren't a convenience
or a form of recreation, they are a component of their livelihood.
Agreed. But I do not think we should make accommodations for car
reliant people to live virtually on top of a major public transport hub,
because that housing would much better serve people who are not car reliant.
Thanks,
David Booth
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Colin McMillen <colin.m...@gmail.com>: Feb 10 11:14AM -0500
A thought experiment: how different would this be from a Plan B in which 500 units of housing are magically added *elsewhere* within the Davis neighborhood?
On average, people who live directly in the heart of Davis Square are probably *less* likely to order delivery than people who are living 10-15 minutes' walk away, because they live close enough that they can just drop down and pick something up within 5 minutes, rather than waiting longer for colder food and paying expensive delivery fees. So the double-parking in front of restaurants to pick up delivery orders might be *less* with the tower than if we added +500 units spread-out through the neighborhood. But you're absolutely right that the tower *itself* risks being a chokepoint if there's a rush of deliveries at peak time (which unfortunately, peak dinnertime significantly overlaps with peak commute hours).
I'd like to see a proposal that mitigates the potential effect of delivery vehicles while leaving the housing in place -- perhaps a hotel-like U-shaped driveway with something like 10 off-street short-term parking spots just for loading and unloading of deliveries and passenger pickup. That could help solve the potential vehicle-congestion problem without wasting a bunch of space on a giant parking lot.
Clearly the least-traffic option would be "don't add any housing at all", but that's a different argument and not one I could agree with.
(As a point of reference: according to census data, about 25,000 people live within the Davis square area, so if there's on average 2 people in 500 new units, that's +1000 residents and only a 4% expected increase in population & traffic compared to right now.)
Colin
On Tue, Feb 10, 2026, at 9:08 AM, 'Elizabeth Merrick ' via Davis Square Neighborhood Council wrote:
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Elizabeth Merrick <ebm...@comcast.net>: Feb 10 11:23AM -0500
I haven't heard anybody propose a zero new affordable housing scenario. I feel like that's a straw man argument. There's a lot in between 0 and 500 units, large majority of which would be not affordable anyway.
I still think the intense concentration of the additional 500 households would create major problems within the square. I doubt there are 25,000 people who live right in Davis Square, they're obviously spread out around the area. Dispersion of new housing into smaller projects would be much preferable in my view. For many reasons. And how about not all 500 units of new housing need to be only in Davis.
Get Outlook for Android
From: Colin McMillen <colin.m...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 11:14:59 AM
To: Elizabeth Merrick <ebm...@comcast.net>; Dan Ehrlich.dan <ehrli...@gmail.com>; Alan Moore <al...@pathfriends.org>
Cc: David Booth <da...@dbooth.org>; daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [DSNC] 13-story and other alternatives for Copper Mill project
A thought experiment: how different would this be from a Plan B in which 500 units of housing are magically added *elsewhere* within the Davis neighborhood?
On average, people who live directly in the heart of Davis Square are probably *less* likely to order delivery than people who are living 10-15 minutes' walk away, because they live close enough that they can just drop down and pick something up within 5 minutes, rather than waiting longer for colder food and paying expensive delivery fees. So the double-parking in front of restaurants to pick up delivery orders might be *less* with the tower than if we added +500 units spread-out through the neighborhood. But you're absolutely right that the tower *itself* risks being a chokepoint if there's a rush of deliveries at peak time (which unfortunately, peak dinnertime significantly overlaps with peak commute hours).
I'd like to see a proposal that mitigates the potential effect of delivery vehicles while leaving the housing in place -- perhaps a hotel-like U-shaped driveway with something like 10 off-street short-term parking spots just for loading and unloading of deliveries and passenger pickup. That could help solve the potential vehicle-congestion problem without wasting a bunch of space on a giant parking lot.
Clearly the least-traffic option would be "don't add any housing at all", but that's a different argument and not one I could agree with.
(As a point of reference: according to census data, about 25,000 people live within the Davis square area, so if there's on average 2 people in 500 new units, that's +1000 residents and only a 4% expected increase in population & traffic compared to right now.)
Colin
On Tue, Feb 10, 2026, at 9:08 AM, 'Elizabeth Merrick ' via Davis Square Neighborhood Council wrote:
Speaking of cars, even aside from the parking issue, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what someone else brought up recently: the vehicle log jams and problems that would be created simply by deliveries, even apart from the park (which I believe is a serious issue ).
500 new households jammed into one block, I can just picture the Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS, grocery, restaurant and retail delivery vehicles on our narrow streets in Davis! How many ways can we say "out of scale for this neighborhood"!
Elizabeth Merrick
Get Outlook for Android
From: daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Dan Ehrlich.dan <ehrli...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 8:51:59 AM
To: Alan Moore <al...@pathfriends.org>
Cc: David Booth <da...@dbooth.org>; daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [DSNC] 13-story and other alternatives for Copper Mill project
Parking / Social Engineering:
Actually we have the data and it proves the opposite. For renters in this price range the average is slightly more than 1 car per unit.
One of the assets of living here is that, unlike NYC for example, people can enjoy the countryside. If you have the money, you want a car.
Best,
Dan
On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 5:19 PM Alan Moore <al...@pathfriends.org> wrote:
been reading all the month's posts with interest.
I agree with David and think these are important points to consider with regard to the car parking issue.
Does anyone have any data on car ownership at Assembly for residents there? With all the parking there, renters who require a car can choose there.
Alan
If someone knowingly chose to live in a car-free apartment, and later
decides they want a car because of a job change, then they can move.
I'm okay with that.
Caring for a disabled person is different. I think it would be
reasonable for Copper Mill to include handicap parking, and perhaps also
some parking for short-term use (eg, no or limited overnight use).
However, I think the most important consideration is to prohibit parking
from being *bundled* with housing, because bundling *encourages* car use.
On 02/09/2026 10:43 AM EST David Booth <da...@dbooth.org> wrote:
On 2/9/26 08:02, Michael Chiu wrote:
The zero parking aspect of the general discussion re: Davis development
is one that doesn't quite make sense to me.
Understood that many people can live quite comfortably without owning a
car and this is easier due to proximity of public transport, bike lanes,
etc... This is great for them at that time in their life. However, life
and priorities can change; your job might move to the suburbs, you might
have to support an elderly parent or maybe you become disabled (or
old). If any of these happen, does it mean that you have to move out
as there are no options for a car?
If someone knowingly chose to live in a car-free apartment, and later
decides they want a car because of a job change, then they can move.
I'm okay with that.
Caring for a disabled person is different. I think it would be
reasonable for Copper Mill to include handicap parking, and perhaps also
some parking for short-term use (eg, no or limited overnight use).
However, I think the most important consideration is to prohibit parking
from being *bundled* with housing, because bundling *encourages* car use.
For many, cars aren't a convenience
or a form of recreation, they are a component of their livelihood.
Agreed. But I do not think we should make accommodations for car
reliant people to live virtually on top of a major public transport hub,
because that housing would much better serve people who are not car reliant.
Thanks,
David Booth
--
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Christopher Beland <bel...@alum.mit.edu>: Feb 10 11:53AM -0500
On Wed, 2026-02-04 at 11:41 -0500, Victoria Antonino wrote:
> I’m terribly concerned with helping the people who live here to be able to stay here. Let’s get that inclusionary number to 40% and have that conversation.
Bumping the affordable housing from 25% to 40% would permanently cut $2 million per year from building rent, representing a 24% reduction in profit. I'm not sure how many people would keep doing the same job if their pay was cut by a quarter; that would be a huge ask.
-B.
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David Booth <da...@dbooth.org>: Feb 10 12:15PM -0500
On 2/10/26 09:46, Michael Chiu wrote:
> of housing policy, but housecleaners need to park somewhere - tough to
> take your vacuum on the T. Home health aides move between multiple
> patients a day, repair and maintenance folks too; . . .
Totally agree. I think we need to carefully distinguish
short-term/visitor parking from general purpose monthly parking. I
think it is important to include short-term/visitor parking.
> would not be able to hold a job that requires a car. My preference is
> that we find a way to include these people too, not just from an
> affordability perspective, but from a practical/logistical one as well.
That worries me. If the building were to offer monthly parking for
residents who "need" cars for their jobs, I fear that such a system
would be far too easy to abuse, because almost anyone could make a
plausible argument for "needing" their car.
Thanks,
David Booth
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