0 Underwater Garages in Boston?

We all agree, finding garage parking in Boston can be a challenge. What about parking under the Charles River or under the Fort Point Channel?

Amsterdam parking under water

Image Credit: Curbed

In a recent article the Boston Globe notes, “in a city like Boston, where the most parking-starved areas are surrounded by water, the payoff could be significant: helping to reduce the pollution and traffic caused by drivers circling the block hunting for spot, making parking more affordable, and freeing up more street-level space for other uses.”

The Globe article also includes the following comment of the feasibility of such an undertaking:

“It’s definitely very possible,” said Arthur G. Stadig, vice president of Walker Parking Consultants, who said a client of his Boston firm — whom he declined to identify — recently toyed with the idea of extending part of a planned parking garage into the harbor…It’s just a matter of is there that right combination of a development that’s close to the water, needs the parking, and is feasible from all different aspects,” including cost and securing regulatory approvals.”

You can read the full article on the Globe’s website.

 

0 Soon you may be able to Swim in the Charles River Anytime

Swimmers jump into Boston's Charles river

Credit: Wbur

Live, work, play and yes Swim. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to clean up the waterways that surround Boston and now some want to create floating docks to encourage swimming. “Love that dirty water” is now just a song by the Standdells and no longer reflects the conditions of our waterways.

From wbur:

The Charles River Conservancy, which hosts its fourth annual City Splash event Tuesday, has been making an effort in recent years to get more residents swimming in the Charles. Now, the conservancy wants to create a permanent floating dock on the river, near North Point Park.

“Due to decades and hundreds of millions of dollars of remediation, Boston and Cambridge are poised to set an example for other American cities by leading the country with a safe and innovative swimming facility that is accessible and beautiful,” Renata von Tscharner, conservancy founder and president, said in a statement.