COULD IMMINENT

BETHESDA ROW

PARKING CRUNCH

PUT MONEY IN

POCKETS OF NEARBY

HOMEOWNERS?

New Urbanism's Urban-Suburban Faultlines

May Have Silver Lining for SFH Owners

Urbanization in Montgomery County and other jurisdictions - often in the form of infill development - has negative impacts on adjacent suburban communities. Noise, light and exhaust pollution are only matched by shadow-casting towers on the usual list of complaints.

These complaints are justified, particularly as zoning rules are rewritten at an astonishing pace. Smart Growth gurus from Rollin Stanley to Roger Lewis tout a future in which skyscrapers loom over backyard barbeques in existing neighborhoods of single family homes.

But change is not the only constant in America; the spirit of free enterprise is just as steadfast.

So if it seems there is much to grumble about for the homeowner next to an infill redevelopment project, it could also be time to turn those lemons into lemonade.

How does $3000+ extra income a year sound?

That's how much new website http://www.Parkatmyhouse.com claims your 20814 zip driveway is worth per year, if you rent it to drivers who desperately need a parking space. How does it work? Drivers fill out a form; so do homeowners who have parking spaces available to rent. When enough people sign up in a locality, Park at My House starts serving that area. PAMH is currently serving Washington, New York City and Boston.

Small consolation, in light of the macro and micro issues:

On the micro scale, here on Bethesda Avenue, we are about to lose two public parking lots this month. Officials and the media have downplayed the effect of this. In my opinion, this will have an impact on business around Bethesda Row. Sure, you can park further away, and take the free Bethesda Circulator back to Bethesda Row. But time, inclement or cold weather, and inconvenience will certainly annoy some customers. And not just those who rely on the surface lots: space in the public and Federal Realty garages will now be even harder to come by.

Parking is going to be more frustrating than ever.

Then there is the nationwide macro issue of infill development, reflected by the projects replacing those lots. Clearly, The Darcy will loom over the small houses on Leland Street behind it. Now, the situation is not exactly the same as those in the Westbard sector of Bethesda, or in Woodley Gardens in Rockville. Downtown Bethesda has always been urban in nature, whereas those latter two areas have been commercial centers, that exist to serve surrounding neighborhoods.

I welcome The Darcy. It sounds like a fantastic addition to Bethesda Row. The rumor exists that it will have a Harris Teeter on the ground floor. The list of amenities would make Phillip Drummond green with envy (they do your grocery shopping, and even detail your car in the garage!).

But officials should have had a better plan to offset the temporary loss of parking until the public spaces within The Darcy garage are available.

Park at My House represents a classic American response to innovate in changing times, and fill needs that exist. In this case, parking spaces that are temporarily or permanently disappearing in urban areas.

I think this concept of renting private driveways is extremely timely.

It is fascinating to consider that it is an economic activity only made possible by infill development. In a completely urban area, there are no houses and no driveways to rent out! At the same time, driveway rentals directly conflict with new urbanism's desire to reduce automobile use.

But could such rentals be one of many small-scale approaches (more valet parking, speeding up Circulators, getting Capital Bikeshare stations operating sooner, insert your idea here) to addressing parking problems in the coming 24 months at Bethesda Row?

Who says you need to lease your spot through Park at My House anyway? If you live a block or two west of Arlington Road, east of Wisconsin Avenue or along Leland Street, you too could be a independent operator - a mini parking mogul!

Realistically, driveway rentals won't prevent the parking crunch. They could provide a minor consolation to homeowners who feel they're getting all the negatives from redevelopment.

Most of all, they spur an intelligent and interesting discussion: What other new economic opportunities might urbanization that bumps up against suburbia generate?