Members Present:
John Riley, Selectmen
Ben Wilcox, Hingham Development and Industrial Commission
Sturtevant English, Harbor Development Committee
Judith Sneath, Hingham Planning Board and Hingham Downtown Association
Katy Lacy, Town Planner (non-voting member)
Also present were M.J. Shultz, former Zoning Administrator and current consultant, Dana Baxter, owner and operator of Baxter Marine, and Jim Clark, resident.
Selectmen John Riley opened the meeting by stating that purpose of the ad-hoc committee was 1) to assess current conditions and use patterns in the Town-owned parking areas in the Harbor, and 2) to identify potential policy and regulatory changes to ensure that these properties are used in such a way that serves the best interests of the Town.
Mr. Riley noted that Harbormaster John Souther will serve as an advisory member to the Committee.
Mr. Riley explained that the reason that the committee was created was in response to recent proposals to use (through a lease or informally) the Town-owned lots to satisfy the off-street parking requirements for private developments within the Waterfront Business District. This, in turn, has lead the Planning Board, who currently serves as the Special Permit granting authority for parking waivers, to look to the Board of Selectmen for guidance on Town policy relative to the use of these “public” parking areas.
John Riley noted that one of his goals was to make sure that allocation of parking in the Square did not preclude the use of this area for future development of marine and recreational uses by the Town on the Town-owned land.
Ms. Sneath pointed out that parking in the Harbor area was inextricably linked to parking issues in the Station Street area, which were, in turn, linked to parking issues in the immediate Square area. At this point overflow parking from uses in the Harbor and the Square are being directed to Station Street, and some overflow from the Station Street area is being directed to the Harbor (such as Stars).
Ms. Sneath pointed out that the HDIC and HDA have recently completed a parking Study for the Square and Station Street areas, and developed a series of recommendations aimed at better utilizing the available parking downtown. She recommended that it would be beneficial to conduct a similar study for the Harbor area.
Ben Wilcox asked whether it was a problem to utilize the Harbor parking area for employee parking for Downtown businesses. Sturt English noted that this is already occurring, sometimes to the detriment of harbor users. Dana Baxter expressed the opinion that Harbor parking should be limited to Harbor Uses. The group concluded that while it would be valuable to eventually look at the parking situation throughout the Downtown and Harbor areas, it was important to take stock of the current parking situation in the Harbor before considering whether it could be used as overflow for Downtown parking needs.
Ms. Lacy and Ms. Sneath suggested that they use the methodology used for the parking studies done for the Square and Station Street areas, which involved determining what uses were occurring, how much parking was required, and how much parking was available. Everyone agreed that while there was more than ample parking available at the Bathing Beach, that its remote location made it impractical for many harbor (and even downtown) users.
Sturt English reported that there were approximately 195 moorings in the Harbor, and that, at certain times of year, the parking available for mooring holders in the Harbor parking lot was at capacity. He suggested that certain areas of the lot might be designated for mooring holders, who would also be given a tag for their car. He noted that kayakers, and visitors to the Iron Horse Park also use this lot. He reiterated that the lot is also regularly used by Stars Employees, causing further strain.
Mr. English noted that significant information about uses and existing conditions in the Harbor had been gathered in the process of putting together the Harbor Plan, which was prepared by the Harbor Development Committee with consultant Mark Mazarelli.
There was a brief discussion about the two private marina operations at the Harbor at 26 Summer Street and 3 Otis Street. Both of these operations have requested relief from the current requirement for off-street parking relative to boat slips, which is one parking space per 2 slips, on the theory that they can use the Town-owned lots for overflow. The Committee agreed that, at this point at least, the Town regulations were clear that without formal relief this would not be permitted.
Ms. Sneath asked whether overflow parking from the moorings or private marina uses ever occurred in the Bathing Beach lot. Mr. English noted that, in general the Bathing Beach seemed too remote. Further, until recently the Bathing Beach was limited to Town residents, and many mooring holders were not residents. There was a brief discussion of whether some of the paved area at the Bathing Beach should be removed and replaced with park-like green space.
Committee members noted that it would be a good idea to have representation from the Trustees of the Bathing Beach on the Committee. Mr. Riley noted that one of the goals of this Committee was to gather more information about the Bathing Beach, including the roles of the Trustees, and any use limitations or restrictions.
Mr. English noted that it would also be important to identify any restrictions on the Harbor lot put in place by the State (Coastal Zone Management) when the boat ramp was installed. Mr. Wilcox suggested that it would perhaps make sense to have seasonal restrictions on parking in the Harbor, since during the winter months demand from boaters was greatly reduced.
Mr. Baxter asked Mr. Riley about the status of plans to change the layout of the 3A Rotary, and whether that land was to be used for additional parking at the Lincoln Sailing Center. Mr. Riley said that preliminary design work related to removing the rotary was underway, but that the primary motivation was traffic safety.
Sturt English said that he would like to disclose on record that he is a Trustee of the Lincoln Sailing Center.
Mr. Clark expressed that opinion that Mr. English and Ms. Sneath should not be on the committee due to conflicts on interest.
In terms of goals for the next meeting, Ms. Lacy noted that she would initiate the parking inventory. Mr. English said that he would bring back information on any state-imposed restrictions on the Harbor Parking lot. John Riley agreed to look into the role of the Trustees of the Bathing Beach and identify any existing use restrictions or regulations.
The group agreed that they would not have a single chairman, but would rely on a “rotating” chairmanship. The next Meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Katy Lacy, Town Planner