Let’s take a hypothetical drive down any of Orleans’ commercial strips – in particular I usually focus on St. Joseph Boulevard. What often strikes me first isn’t the vibrant shops, services, and local businesses, but instead I can’t help but focus on the sheer, sprawling expanse of asphalt. Storefronts are set far back, behind seemingly endless, extremely underutilized, oceans of parking. This design, while offering immediate “park-right-at-the-door” convenience for drivers, inadvertently stifles the very vibrancy a place like this should be aiming to serve, turning our commercial areas into drive-through stops rather than destinations.
This layout wasn’t an accident; it’s a legacy of car-first planning from decades past, a common approach during post-WWII suburbanization. The thinking was simple: cars are king, so make it easy to drive in, park, and leave. Zoning bylaws mandate huge parking minimums, pushing buildings far from the street to accommodate rows of cars up front. The result? Plenty of functional space for vehicles, but a rather dull, disconnected, and often uncomfortable one for people. When every errand requires a car, and every store or commercial strip mall is on its own island of parking exclusive to patrons of that location, our commercial areas become places we drive or or drive through, not places we linger in.
But what if we reimagined these spaces? What if we acknowledged that our commercial strips could offer parking for everyone, but in a way that enhances the pedestrian experience rather than obliterates it? The solution isn’t about eliminating parking; it’s about intelligent design: shifting it.
Imagine buildings brought closer to the sidewalk, creating an immediate, welcoming presence. Instead of a patchwork of smaller, individual front lots, parking could be consolidated into larger, more efficient combined lots located behind the buildings and accessible only off the main boulevard entirely. This simple shift, common in more traditional main streets, transforms the entire experience. Storefronts become accessible on foot, windows can engage passersby, and sidewalks can actually become places for strolling, with plenty of room for benches or outdoor seating.
The benefits for Orleans are substantial. A more pedestrian-friendly frontage encourages walking, cycling, or transit for local errands, easing traffic congestion on our main roads and reducing those countless short car trips. Local businesses could thrive from increased foot traffic, fostering a stronger sense of community and potentially leading to more diverse retail options. From an economic standpoint, more vibrant, walkable commercial areas often translate to higher property values and increased tax revenues for the city. It’s a win-win: parking doesn’t go anywhere for those who want or need it, but the street-facing land is reclaimed for people and prosperity.
This transformation won’t happen overnight, nor will it be without its challenges. It requires updating outdated zoning, encouraging new development models (perhaps through incentives for denser building types or even parking maximums), and offering support for existing businesses to reconfigure their sites. It also means challenging our collective habit of demanding a parking spot directly in front of every single storefront. However, the payoff for Orleans – a more connected, livelier, and economically resilient community – is well worth the thoughtful evolution.
By strategically reconfiguring our commercial strips, we can unlock their hidden potential, turning them from mere zones of transaction into true community assets. It’s time to build for people first, and let our parked cars take a literal backseat.
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