Carbon Monoxide Park
"Jack Herrity told the Town of Vienna its plan for a 'town green' on Maple Avenue would more likely resemble 'carbon monoxide park' on the town's main thoroughfare."
Vienna Times
The recent post about the mulch pile "lawyering up" brought in feedback tied to the Town's new park to be located on Maple Avenue across from Whole Foods:
Town Owned Commercial Building to be Demolished for New Park
Feedback from Mother #1:
"This site on Maple Avenue may be better used for a parking garage for the myriad of 1960s strip malls in our "walking" Town! The answer is simple - don't listen to the citizens and don't engage in productive communication with what the people want. Let's not mention that mothers will be bringing their babies in strollers to inhale exhaust fumes. How will they get across Route 123 safely? This is all nutso."
Feedback from Mother #2:
"What mother would bring young children to a park on Maple Avenue near that traffic & danger - especially DIRECTLY across Mill Street from the site of a tragic bicyclist death last year? And, there is nothing planned at the park for young kids. What is the risk that a young child is hit on Maple Avenue?"
The "moms" make one point. We, however, worry more about the idea of using scarce commercial space in Town for pet projects. Would this location have not made an even better spot for Vienna's first public parking garage? Building VERY expensive monuments (don't forget this land is worth millions) to satisfy big egos should not be the role of Council members. Vienna needs a comprehensive plan for its commercial corridor. It does not need piece meal projects stuck together devoid of any long-range vision.
Comments
Mayor Seeman, long-time member of Vienna Presbyterian Church, promotes the new Town Green in her mayoral platform and says it is her goal to establish more parking near the Town Green, either by paving a lot or by encouraging more businesses to share their parking areas. In view of her church's curb-to-curb expansion, it is obvious that preserving a litte green space and securing additional parking nearby will be a nice compliment to the VPC complex. They say "the builder of all things is God". I say God spends our tax dollars in mysterious ways.
Meanwhile, the Town Council under Mayor Seeman's leadership had no problem cramming 8 service businesses into the former Southern States location on the corner of a major Maple Avenue crossroad. Where was your concern for parking here, Mayor? Shouldn't the Town Green be a pedestrian destination... why are you so eager to build parking space for this spit of parkland that will have no regular attendance, except perhaps the slew of politicians that see fit to commandeer our Halloween parade every year?
Posted by: Town Resident | April 22, 2006 06:46 PM