The Boston Air Pollution Control Commission voted last month in decision that would effectively end the use of 30, longtime parking spaces in Chinatown, which were deemed out of compliance with city regulations.
The land in question, located on Tyler Street, has been used by Tufts Shared Services for decades, providing parking primarily for Tufts Medical Center’s medical patients. It was the site of Boston’s Chinese Church before its relocation outside of the neighborhood.
“The Air Pollution Control Commission does not review the necessity of exemption requests for existing facilities but rather confirms that owners are in compliance with requirements of the Downtown Parking Freeze at the policy and procedural level,” Air Pollution Control Commission spokesperson Stacia Sheputa told the Sampan.
The City of Boston created its downtown parking freeze in 1976, under the rules set by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The freeze limits the availability of commercial parking spaces in all of Downtown Boston and is not specific to the Chinatown neighborhood.
Environmental activists argue that ending the lot for parking would significantly reduce the city’s air pollution levels and discourage car use downtown.
“Emissions from vehicles are one of the largest drivers of pollution,” Rowan Cai, a Chinatown resident who graduated as an Environmental Studies major at Boston College, told Sampan. “By limiting the number of parking spaces, we can reduce the amount of carbon emissions in an already heavily polluted Chinatown. Converting it to a green park would allow a greener, more clean Chinatown.”
City Council members and others arguing in favor of the lot, however, said that the parking lot is vital for sustaining downtown business. They believe that removing the lot could deter customers who rely on convenient parking, potentially harming local businesses.
Furthermore, the non-profit Tufts Shared Services has provided numerous Chinatown residents and visitors access to the Tyler Street parking lot for Chinatown-specific activities. TSS was providing free parking to the local Catholic Church parishioners on Sundays which allowed many out of towners to attend Sunday services. TSS also gave free parking to parents at a neighboring child care center to insure that the children could be safely picked up and dropped off. Patients also used the lot for access to Tufts.
