Metro moments with the Mayor

I work in the Uphams Corner area of Dorchester. I came to work a few weeks ago and the Uphams Corner area was plastered with “No Stopping-Tow Zone” signs. There was no parking on Columbia Rd., Cushing Ave., and Wilbur St. for three days due to a play at the Strand Theater. I know the Strand is a pet project of yours, and I also am glad to see it renovated, and hope it succeeds. But this is a major inconvenience to those who live and work in the area. It is hurting the local businesses. Is it going to be standard operating procedure to ban parking in the area whenever there is an event at the Strand?    Barry
 
Public safety is always foremost in our planning efforts for large events and reserving the parking spots on the streets you mentioned was done to make sure that no one was hurt as large crowds were expected for “Ain’t Misbehavin’” – the biggest production hosted by the Strand Theatre in its recent history.

I believe the value to local businesses from the newly renovated Strand hosting this kind of big name production is quite substantial. In fact, my administration has heard from several area business owners who expressed how much they benefited from “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

The renovated Strand has turned Uphams Corner into a destination for people from across the city. As people from various neighborhoods flocked to Uphams Corner to see the production, they stopped at local cafés and restaurants for a quick bite to eat and filled up their gas tanks before heading home.

Business owners will tell you that it’s all about location, location, location — more foot traffic means more people and more people mean more business. This type of foot traffic on a regular basis is invaluable and in today’s economy we need to do everything we can to help our local businesses survive.

While I’d like to say productions of this magnitude will become the norm in the neighborhood, I do not think reserving parking will be the standard for every show in the future. If productions like the size of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” come to the Strand again we will take whatever precautions are necessary to ensure public safety and we certainly plan to balance the needs of the residents and local businesses as we plan for future events.