HomeMy Public PortalAbout09-13-2011 public forum Preserving the Courtyard
At the Arsenal Apartments
(465 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA)
A Presentation and Argument:
For Preserving the Courtyard (as it exists presently)
And
Against its Destruction (by being replaced by a Parking Lot)
[September, 2011]
Written by Jim Loughlin [representing his views and those of a large number of residents
who have asked him to be their spokesperson on this issue.]
1/6
Historical Background: Arsenal Apartments' Buildings and Parking:
The Apartment Complex consists of four brick buildings designated as A, B, C, and D
buildings. The"D building, erected in 1982,is the largest at 7 stories and is located
alongside Arsenal Street,with some apartments facing out to the street and some to a rear
parking lot and to one side each of the other three buildings. The B, C, and D buildings
were once part of the old U. S. Government Arsenal and date back to 1820. These three
buildings are two stories each, formed in a"detached"U and within that U is a lovely
courtyard with three large oak trees and 15 smaller,mature,trees,with a large gazebo
within its center.
Parking for the Arsenal Apartments consists of a gated side parking lot of 19 spaces
(adjacent to the Harvard Vanguard parking lot),the parking area behind the main
building(13 spaces, seven of them reserved for visitors) and a parking area just on the
edge of buildings A and C (at the open sides of the"U")with 16 spaces. [Across from
this parking area is a parking area of ten open spaces for the owner/tenants of the nearby
townhouses/condos.]
The Arsenal Apartments are owned and managed by the Gilbane Development
Company(GDC)whose primary headquarters is in Providence,Rhode Island.
Historical Background: Arsenal Apartments—its Mission:
The Arsenal Apartments provide housing(one and two bedroom apartments) for both
seniors and those with disabilities (of any age). It is a HUD-assisted housing unit with
rights and responsibilities both for the management and for the residents. HUD
recognizes the"Residents' right to organize and participate in the decisions regarding the
well-being of the project and their home."
There are 156 units with approximately 220 people. From my observation,the people
come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds where, for many,their native tongue is,
their primary,perhaps only, language.
Because we are all seniors or people with disabilities,or have language concerns,we
are a very vulnerable population with respect to opposing management decisions made at
the Arsenal Apts. —a point I can't emphasize enough.
n.b. There may be slight errors in the details ("numbers") above as I have tried to learn
about them solely from attendance at meetings (taking notes) and my own observations.
2/6
The Arsenal Apartments' Courtyard Issue(Nov,2010):
That the Courtyard will be destroyed to make way for a 39 space parking lot.
Residents first learned officially about the above proposed happening at meetings held
by management during the week of November 15-19,2010. I attended the first of those
meetings, a Monday, and when I learned about what was to happen to the courtyard I
spoke out against it at that meeting [reasons will be given later in this paper] and
mentioned I would try to prevent it from happening,though how to do it, at that time, I
had no idea. Some people spoke to me later and said to me that"I spoke for them too."
When I learned that a spokesman from Gilbane Development Company (GDC)would be
present the next day,I returned on Tuesday and spoke out again against the parking lot
expansion. Many people, both during the meeting and, in particular, after it, spoke to me,
asking for my help in preserving our courtyard. Two days later, I met with some of those
people who brought me,that evening,to a"Trees for Watertown"meeting where they
(through an interpreter) and I spoke about the issue. The members/officers of"Trees"
was very supportive of our position and,through the ensuing months,have offered to me
(us)extremely helpful advice and guidance, especially with the importance of becoming
involved with Town of Watertown government(Town Council,Planning Board,
Conservation Board,Zoning Board,Tree Warden's office)which I have done,through
attendance at meetings,visits to offices, talking to officials,emails, letters, and telephone
calls.
3/6
The Arsenal Courtyard: an Appreciation
For all of the residents of the Arsenal Apartments,the courtyard can be a place of
openness, quiet,beauty,rest and relaxation,for themselves, friends, and visitors. It is
available to all of us,whether elderly,disabled, blind.... It was initially designed as a
great benefit for the people living there then and for those people who would live there in
the future. The three large oak trees and the fifteen flowering fruit trees,the grasses, the
various plantings of shrubs and bushes,both within the Courtyard and along the sides of
the buildings, all add to its allure and attractiveness—its natural beauty. And, again,it's
open and it's meant for all the residents! The gazebo has provided a great meeting place
for many residents, especially during the summer evening hours. And that gazebo is at
the center of it all -in the midst of this lovely courtyard, as it too was designed to be.
Let's look closer at the trees within this courtyard. What do they provide? What is a
tree worth? In a recent article The Wilson Quarterly(Winter,2011),the writer Jill Jonnes
asked that very question: "What is a Tree Worth?" As I read the article I noted many
thoughts about trees and their particular benefits which are directly applicable to our
living here at the Arsenal Apartments. What Jonnes found from various disciplines of
science is that trees:
Are vital to a community's well-being
Sweeten the air
Clean the air
Reduce human stress
Improve public health
Beautify
Provide shade
Act as a habitat for birds (my own addition)
I quote from one of his conclusions: "Trees can play a role in cooling cities while making
them more beautiful,healthier, and friendlier to humans." Trees can do the same for all
the residents here at the Arsenal,particularly those who live in buildings A,B, and C.
[Please note that this writer is not a resident of those three buildings,but resides in
building D.]
The courtyard is a continuing benefit for all the residents. It must be preserved!
4/6
The Parking Lot Proposal:
A bad idea which has many important serious and damaging disadvantages.
At the November meetings when residents first heard about the parking lot,it was not
announced so much as a proposal but as a statement. It was a"done deal." A few days
later an official notice, dated Nov. 23,2010,fiom management announced that"Parking
Project: Early spring next year we will be turning the courtyard into a parking lot. The
gazebo will be moved next to C building. New trees will be replanted to replace the ones
that are removed." The reasons given by management at the Monday and Tuesday
meetings I attended were given as follows:
- There is a need for more parking for some people living here now;
- There is a need for more parking for people who want to live here but will not
come if they would have to be on a waiting list for parking.
- That the Courtyard is under-utilized
- That residents can use the Arsenal park nearby if they wish to be in a park
Those of us who are for the preservation of the Courtyard and against its replacement
by a parking lot do understand the needs of those tenants who have been waiting,in some
cases a long time, to have a parking place. It is frustrating! But,probably, from the
earliest days of the Arsenal Apartments' existence, we have all been on waiting lists for
parking. Some of us(including me)have been very fortunate as we had parking at the
Harvard Vanguard lot next door while we were on the waiting list. But to destroy the
courtyard to make a 39 space parking lot is not the answer as it dismisses the reality that
this lovely courtyard is for all of the residents with cars or without. There are many
people living here who do not have cars,probably will not in the future have cars, or have
given up driving. I will address this issue again near the end of this paper.
For those unwilling to move into the Arsenal Apartments if they don't have parking is
something I acknowledge as only a consideration, amongst many considerations, of
anybody moving anywhere. The Courtyard is for the people living here now and for the
future. It should not be traded for the possibility/probability of some people not wanting
to live here.
I dismiss the argument that the courtyard is sometimes under-utilized. All parks,
whether local, state, or national) are sometimes under-utilized. Certainly, they are not
under-utilized by anyone residing in buildings A, B,or C who look out their windows to
enjoy the view and(in season) fresh air. I have often walked through the Arsenal Park
where I might be the only one there(not during the summer!) but it would be tragic if
someone decided, for that reason, it should be used, for a more"practical reason,"such as
a parking lot.
5/6
Some damaging effects for the residents of having this parking lot:
1) A lot of noise! We would have 39 cars within the environs of buildings A, B, and
C. In other words,we fill up the"U." Although, at present, there is a 16 space
parking area at the opening of this"U"it is only the front(hood)part of the car
that intrudes into this open"U." Noise, I've been told,is minimal. So,the
situation would be dramatically changed with the additional noise of 39 cars—
24/7.
2) A lot of car exhaust/fumes. Again,this would be taking place all within the
confines of buildings A,B, and C and, in no way can this be interpreted as
beneficial to the residents of buildings A,B, or C., or D, for that matter. For the
housing of elderly and disabled residents,this is a public health issue (as noise
really is) and would be very detrimental to the residents. It should be noted that
the fumes from the cars parking in the present 16 spaces go out away from the
opening of the"U,"not toward the buildings and the courtyard. It should also be
noted that the residents of all the buildings are not allowed to have "in-window"
air-conditioners. [This privilege was taken away a few years ago.] So, during the
warmer times,are those residents to close their windows to avoid the car fumes?
They need their windows open. We all need as much fresh air as possible.
3) Congestion. In our opinion, it will be enormous. During spring, summer, and fall
it will be a very crowded scene. During the winter,with the snow,it's a bit of a
problem now with shoveling and removing 16 cars. What will be the condition for
39 cars within a much more closely confined space.
4) Safety. For anybody who is elderly,disabled,blind, etc.this parking lot would be
an obstacle to go around or go through. It is not so at the present. There are
sidewalks within the courtyard and on the four sides of it. The present 16 space
parking presents no hazards to any resident.
6/6
The Need for Additional Parking - an Overview:
That some residents have been on a waiting list for a parking space is readily
acknowledged by us. From the various meetings over the years (I,myself,have resided
here since 2002) 1 have appreciated the efforts that GDC's management has made in
trying to find parking spaces in the parking lots nearby, in particular, at the Arsenal Mall
and Harvard Vanguard sites. Recently,residents and visitors were allowed to park at
Harvard Vanguard in that area facing Arsenal Street,but were not allowed to park there
during the night. [As of this writing,I am unsure what the latest state of affairs permits.]
Over the years the situation has changed from time to time - sometimes day-time
parking elsewhere, sometimes not; sometimes night-time parking, sometimes not. But
destroying the courtyard to provide additional parking on the grounds of the Arsenal
Apartments is not the solution to the difficulties of finding off-site parking.
What can be done? Let me offer a few thoughts:
1) 1 think there must be a continuing effort to work with the owners/management
of Arsenal Mall and Harvard Vanguard (and,possibly, other places) There is
so much empty parking space at those sites that could be made available to
meet the needs of residents here on a waiting list for parking. At night, it is an
enormous empty space! The management of the Arsenal Apartments must
keep moving toward"continuous involvement"with the owner(s) of these lots.
If the reply is negative one year, it could be positive the next. Managements
change, and decisions made by them one time may change at another time. But
replacing the Courtyard with a parking lot will be a final change—there will be
no going back—and the Courtyard will be lost forever.
2) Think"outside the box." I would encourage the management(GDC)to get
involved with city officials of the Town of Watertown to see if they could
advise and help,though their offices,to find some parking elsewhere off-site.
This, again,would be an on-going process,not a"once-only"type of thing.
3) 1 would offer the same encouragement to get the State Representative and State
Senator for our districts involved in this issue.
4) While the above efforts are being done, on a continuous basis,I think that the
present system of having people on a waiting list for a parking space is the
fairest one possible. When a space opens up,the next person on the list gets it.
As stated before, we've all been there and done that.
5) Let it not be forgotten that we have the MBTA#70 bus directly outside the
main building and across the street and,of course, special-needs vehicles
available for residents from the MBTA and other social agencies and our own
bus,thanks to management,primarily used for grocery shopping.
In conclusion, our purpose in writing this statement is to give our reasons for
preserving the Courtyard here at the Arsenal Apartments,for the residents now and for
the residents.in the future. Thank you.
I am, Jim Loughlin(#414) speaking for many,many residents here at the Arsenal Apts.