How is resident on-street parking near Porter/Davis Square during wintertime? (Cambridge: rental, condo)

[jk210]

I'm interested in moving to a condo with Resident Permit on-street parking a few blocks from Massachusetts Ave near Porter and Davis Square. Right now in the summer, it looks like there are plenty of on-street spots near this condo.

I'm wondering, how difficult is it to find a parking spot in the winter, if there is a lot of snow on the ground? How likely is it that I will need to park far away or attempt to reshovel out a spot after driving home from work? (unfortunately, I work in metro-west so need to drive)

If anyone has experience in this, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[wolfgang239]

It can be awful during the winter. You can get lucky and find a spot after a storm but in bad years massive snow banks form. These end up eliminating even more spaces so frustration mounts as the season persists. I'd look into renting a parking space or parking at Alewife during snow emergencies. Some people I know would park more towards Teele/along the 87/88 bus routes so they could hop the bus to their car.

Mild years it ends up being ok, but you pretty much need to be parked by the time they announce a snow emergency because that whole side of the street gets filled immediately. Look up the map of snow emergency lots to see if one is nearby.

There is nothing worse than having to wake up an hour early and chip the ice and snow away from your car. When I bought my place in Somerville I made sure I had a driveway that fit all of my vehicles.

Right now is not a good time to judge parking availability. Somerville has a large transient/young population, many of whom took off when COVID began, but that happens every summer to a lesser degree. When college is back in session or during normal times it gets more crowded. I suspect there will be more cars as people avoid the T as well.

[BosYuppie]

Friggin terrible. I used to live over there. For a while behind Davis and for a while on the Somerville side of Porter. Chances are you will have to park blocks away during the snow bans. Somerville isn't a good place to be a car owner. Curtatone is vehemently anti-car.

If you have the money, maybe it's worth stashing your car at Alewife for the reverse commute. Or, negotiate a split WFH where you only have to go in once a week, and uber out.

[robr2]

Also note that if the city declares a snow emergency (typically 4+ inches), you need to park on one side of the street - even this winter as it starts in 2020 or move your car to a municipal lot or parking meter which are free during snow emergencies.

You can always rent a space: https://boston.craigslist.org/search...ville&sort=rel

[KemBro71]

I'm shocked that it looks good now. WHat day of the week and time of day did you look?

I can't ever remember that area being parking friendly.

[BosYuppie]

I think we should probably mention, the Davis/Porter area is a lovely place to live with all the amenities you'll need close by. There are grocery stores in both squares. You'll just have to adjust your lifestyle. Having a car means adding the parking, dealing with streetsweeping days, winter snow bans, etc to your routine. I did it for several years, I just wouldn't really want to do it any more if I could possibly avoid it.

[jk210]

Thanks for the information!

This place is on Pemberton Street in Cambridge. We stopped by there around 5pm last Friday. I agree, we love the area.

Thanks for the cragislist link and the tip about taking a bus. I could possibly see that working out, but it's definitely not ideal. We will probably lean towards trying to find a place with its own parking spot.

Thanks everyone!

[BostonMike7]

It's terrible. My family own's property near Davis, with a driveway big enough for 2 cars. One rental unit does pay for a spot. The other one is left open so family members can come and go to check in on my elderly grandmother that lives in one of the units. The street requires a resident parking permit in order to park.

In the winter, when snow banks are all over and parking is at a premium, can't tell you the number of times I've had to tow someone out of the driveway (despite posted signs stating they would be towed) who couldn't find any parking at 1AM and decides to just throw their car in the driveway and hope they can get out there in the AM to move it before someone finds out. They never do.

The on-street parking situation in the winter is just absolutely terrible, although these past two winters haven't been too bad. The main issue is that they are quicker to declare a snow emergency with lighter amounts of snow, so if you need to be off a main drag and onto the smaller side streets, you need to stay on top of that. If we get a winter with massive amounts of snow and huge piles, there will be fights over parking spaces. I've witnessed quite a few. It's just not a very car-centric area and you couldn't pay me enough to live anywhere these days without a reserved parking spot for me to come home to.

[lrfox]

So I guess I'll be the voice of dissent, it's not that bad as far as urban street parking goes. I used to live a few blocks away. I still live in a comparable area as far as street parking goes and actually park on the street more often than my driveway (better access to the front door usually).

I think some of it is perspective - have you ever relied solely on street parking in an urban area? It's not as convenient as a driveway reserved only for you, and you're not going to always get a spot right in front of your condo, but as long as you don't mind walking a block (or two on a tough day) and keep on top of the street cleaning schedule, you should be fine.

Snow storms are a pain, there's no question about it. But if you want to avoid the mess, you can toss your car in the Alewife garage for the duration of the parking ban. Between plowing and digging out, it usually doesn't take that long for parking to get back to some semblance of normal. A day or two for a normal storm, or up to a week for a big one. Really, even in a bad winter, it shouldn't have a huge impact on you. I think a chunk of Pemberton is "No Parking" during snow storms - the downside is that you can't park there during a ban, but the upside is that the "No Parking" stretch will be plowed better than the rest of the streets which means parking's a little better after the storm.

For me, street parking wouldn't be a deal breaker (though a driveway would be nice). Not even in your situation. I don't think the inconvenience is that terrible, and some years (like this one), it's basically a non-issue. And worst case, you can rent off-street parking for the winter months (should be able to find a spot for $200 or less).

[goyguy]

Pemberton St (I once lived there ) runs into, then parallel to, Rindge Ave, where the 83 bus operates. Its route ends opposite Alewife Brook Pkwy - a hop skip and jump from the big Red Line terminal. So the idea of stashing your wheels at Alewife Station during winter storm season isn't far-fetched at all. And during most of the year there shouldn't be an issue with on-street parking.