2006-12-08 Cities for Climate Protection Minutes

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December 8, 2006 Reading Advisory Committee on Cities for Climate Protection Program Committee Notes for Dec. 8, 2006 (Next Meeting Dec. 13"' at Town Hall) Committee Meeting 12:45 PM, present were Stephanie Anderberg, Michele Benson, Ron Daddario, and Gina Snyder Meeting to discuss working with Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC) and Downtown Parking Committee, with a focus on Dec. 10' CPDC meeting on zoning for parking. Parking is a key issue because it affects transportation and vehicle traffic for the town. Because the transportation sector contributes the vast majority of the greenhouse gases emitted in Reading (as based on our data gathering and Cities for Climate Protection program analysis over the past year), the issue of vehicular traffic is an important one for the community to address in a holistic fashion with the end point of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in mind. While we know there are other issues of importance to the CPDC and Parking Committee, we would like to work with them to incorporate a robust response to Reading's emissions into their strategies. In Summary on the concept of converting residentially zoned parcels to zoning status that would allow parking lots, the committee developed the following concerns to point out to the CPDC and Downtown Parking committee: First and foremost, the committees are encouraged to consider the broader picture in developing recommendations on parking but are also encouraged to consider how to reduce vehicular traffic in our town in general. Concepts from the Town's Master Plan, smart growth and walkable communities should inform decisions on where cars will be encouraged and where other means of locomotion are fostered. The Master Plan concept of village living (keeping residential use, even possibly increasing residential use, in the commercial zone) is important not just as a vision for Reading's future development, but as a way to ensure that Reading will remain hospitable to pedestrians. To reduce emissions from the transportation sector, a number of strategies to get people out of their cars and on to other means of locomotion are going to be critical. Adding parking to residential areas may encourage further use of automobiles and will not address the need for additional transit. and increased use of carpools - two strategies to reduce the GHGs from transportation. Green space plays a role in climate protection, not only from the aspect of carbon dioxide offsets, but when compared to the alternative of parking lots, also from the standpoint of preventing additional heat island effects of added pavement. Green space is lost when residential lots are paved for parking. Enhancing the look and feel of the down town area to make it attractive to pedestrians is very important to get people out of their cars. Having residences near commercial areas results in more people being able to walk to the shops. The committee believes that converting residential lots near commercial districts to parking lots is counter to this aspect of attracting pedestrians. Existing parking lots are seen as detracting from the walkability of the areas where they are situated, some recommendations for parking improvements in Reading from the committee include the following recommendations on design of parking areas: Include pedestrian amenities such as green space with seating and trash receptacles that are emptied on a regular basis Include ADA accessible walk ways through parking areas Include sturdy, attractive and accessible bike racks Make sure there is a minimum of 50% of the areas covered by tree canopy Reduce lighting and use effective lighting strategies both to save on emissions from electricity generated but also to keep the feel of residential areas Use drainage features to enhance the feel of a park rather than a parking lot (e.g., grassed swales, rain gardens) Use semi-pervious pavement and lighter colors to reduce the heat island effect Assure that sidewalks are cleared of snow An additional strategy to offset greenhouse gases from the traffic that uses parking areas might be to include contributions to the Reading Green Transit program once it is developed and operational. The committee present voted on the above issues unanimously 4-0-0 to support these concepts.