I’d like to continue the discussion of the library parking lot plans in a slightly more positive way. I’ve really appreciated your comments so far, and I want to see if we can talk about what we do want (if, as seems to be the case, we don’t want two hockey rink/arenas).
One of the things that was mentioned last night that I neglected to talk about was an assignment for the library board:
What if this wasn’t the Theater District, but the Library District?
What would your ideal Library District Plan look like?
(The idea comes from Tim McGourthy, whose presentation I missed. In the interest of full disclosure, I really like him.)
So, readers —
Let’s say the McGrath Parking Lot should be developed. What would you like to see in there? What would complement the library? What would bring new patrons to the library?
Let’s say we could have an entrance to the Library along Franklin Street/Salem Square. Would that change your opinion of the availability of parking? How important is nearby parking to your use of the library? Would you mind walking 1-2 blocks to the library if it was an easy/interesting walk?
Let’s say some sort of athletics (field, complex, park) should be a component of development. What would you like to see?
Let’s say there was going to be street-level storefronts on Salem and/or Portland Streets. What would you like to see? What would you use? What do you think would be a natural fit/extension for the library?
Anything else you can think of?