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Originally Posted by joeg1985
I think that is the complete opposite of what XIII is saying. Walkability is an ideal we all share but the reality is putting this TJ's on Division will make for a less walkable Division Street. If, however, Trader Joe's decided to go for the fold and put zero parking spaces in at this location, then it would be totally welcome and increasing the walkability of the neighborhood.
I totally agree that a grocery store with parking should not go in at that location. How about put it on the Wendy's location next to the Tower of Pizza Hut.
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When I lived in Cambridge, there was a small Whole Foods on Prospect Street near Inman Square which was about the size of most Trader Joe's I've seen. Prospect Street there was a little smaller scale than Division, but functionally very similar, and the Whole Foods didn't add much to traffic despite it have a side parking lot. Like Division, there were buses that went along that part of Prospect, and there were other businesses not far from there.
That grocery store worked, on a street comparable to Division in use and scale, and I see no reason why a Trade Joe's on Division wouldn't function in a similar way. The majority of drivers tend to drive to easy-to-park locations or come from nearby and are sensitive to their own impact on the area because they live there. A lot of people would walk, parking or not.
How many of you have actually lived in areas with the kind of store Trader Joe's is proposing for that location and seen how they function? I'm guessing very few, because if you had you would almost certainly know that areas can function just fine with small grocery stores that are walkable but still have some parking attached, just like that
Whole Foods on Prospect Street in Cambridge does.