Larry Norton’s blog,  An Old Town Perspective, features our site in his blog entry today.  There are some interesting links in the posting which shed a bit of light on the controversy around Mr. Powell’s push for a couplet.  Contrary to what some claim, our sources say he can’t build condo’s above his store because it’s not possible without tearing the store down first, and the streetcar is 15 yrs away as evidenced by the 15 yr parking bond for the proposed parking on Burnside.  So that leaves left-turns and a few measly parallel parking spaces on Burnside that are motivating him?

Mr. Powell, we support improving Burnside with a better plan.  Our plan gives you a left-turn on 10th, right beside Powell’s Books.  But we believe your gain of a few parallel parking places beside your building will come at great expense to the pedestrian dense nature of Couch Street from which you have benefitted enormously.  Many feel parking on Couch would not survive the outcry from drivers if busses and delivery trucks are stopping in the middle of Couch as your couplet plan is designed.  It’s highly possible that any parking gained on Burnside will be lost on Couch.  Please reconsider your stance in this matter.  There is a plethora of evidence showing one-ways to be detrimental to business, some of it here.