What if everyday was like Sunday btwn 9AM-1PM?

Parking.
Gotta think about parking.
Right now you have it.
But think of a future, of greater economic development attracting people with cars, and by golly, they’ll want to park them, in front of your house.
I’m not poo-pooing economic development, just thinking about the type of development I’d like to see. What I’d like to see is something that serves the people who already live here and can walk or bike to a business.
What got me thinking about parking, which doesn’t happen often as I don’t have a car, was trying to suggest a place to eat to friends with car. I know of a dozen places in Dupont and the western end of U Street that I’d like to go. But the problem is, where do you park the darned car. Is searching for a parking space for 20 minutes a sign that a neighborhood has made it? And once you’ve made it, is not being able to find a parking spot near your house worth it? Yes, some houses have parking in the back, but many don’t.
I’m just thinking out loud here, anyone have other thoughts?

10 thoughts on “What if everyday was like Sunday btwn 9AM-1PM?”

  1. I don’t have a car either, but this is exactly why did buy the lot behind my house. DC just isn’t really equiped to deal with everyone and their grandmother owning and driving a car (no way they could have predicted that cars would become so ubiquitous). Maybe the price you pay to drive your car into a popular district is $5-10 at the parking garage. DC has great public transportation. But I do feel bad for people who can’t find parking near their own homes.

  2. i think about this a lot too. my neighborhoods is quickly changing to residents with more money, larger cars, and more of them.
    plus condos are coming in, changing the density as well.

    i’d like to see development in both our hoods that concentrate on the needs of residents. community based needs. green groceries, small restaurants, neighborhoods bars, a bookstore, a gym, etc… those everyday things that we could eaily walk to.

    this kind of development, i feel, will only come from WITHIN the community. the problem with this in our all too happily gentrifying city, is that the new neighbors would have to give up their plush job that allowed them to afford the hood. the old residents have a weighty inertia to break free of to cater to the changing needs/desires.

    tricky.

  3. FYI – More condos are coming soon! They just broke ground at NJ and RI, next to the “Lowest Price” gas station. 20 Units with only 10 parking spots. At 5th and R St, 14 units and only 4-5 spots. Heck if you have a empty backyard, maybe you’ll be able to rent it.
    CC

  4. those little places are gonna be condos?

    or are they to be leveled? the row of houses that recently got fenced off, right?

  5. Haven’t seen the building plans, but the lots are very deep. I’m guessing they will go back far and build 3 story.
    CC

  7. Thanks for the link Toby. According to the site the small row of houses are to be razed. Maybe they will just keep the facades.

  8. it doesn’t sound like it to me. when I hear “razed”, I think “flattened”. also, i think they would throw in something about “preserving the charm & character of the neighborhood” if they were going to save the facades.

    I walk by these everyday, & was starting to worry that it was another project that ran out of money, because there’s been no one working on them at all. Now it makes sense…they’re probably waiting for the demo permit or heavy equipment rental.

  9. i wonder if anyone could lend a hand: i’m looking at an apartment with its own parking space, but neither i nor my roomate drive a car. we’d be looking at renting the space, but does anyone know what the going rate for off-street parking around 5th and r st would be?

Comments are closed.