Why Is This So Important To Our Neighborhood?

The effects of the proposed parking situation for the Bush Library are major for our neighborhood. Among them:

Traffic increases will occur mainly on streets designed for light traffic
With parking proposed for north of the library, the main streets affected will be small residential streets such as Dyer, and Boedeker. A much more logical situation would have parking south of the library, relying more heavily on the 75 access road and Mockingbird, streets designed for heavier traffic loads.

Instead, we'll see effects such as:
  • Much more traffic on Boedeker - People coming from the north will take the Lovers Lane exit. Most will not sit through all of the lights to get down to SMU Blvd, and will jump over to Boedeker and take that down to where they choose to park.

  • Significant congestion entering and exiting the parking lots - The proposed plan has no entrances or exits to parking from SMU Blvd. Two entrances and one exit are off Boedeker, a street which is barely wide enough for two cars. As cars wait to enter from Boedeker, traffic will frequently back up onto SMU Blvd. Entering our neighborhood, especially in the evening rush, will be much more difficult.

  • Safety for our children - What was once a quiet and peaceful neighborhood will quickly be one with 300 additional cars per day driving up and down our streets. This puts the safety of children playing seriously at risk.
Many visitors will choose to park on our streets rather than the parking lot
Whether the Library charges for parking or not, the Foundation has said that there will be some kind of control over parking. Any "control" will look like a charge to park, and that will cause many visitors to simply park on the street instead. This has several negative ramifications
  • More trash on our streets - More non-residents parking on our streets always results in more garbage littering the neighborhood.

  • The safety of our streets is again compromised - More parking on the street makes for more crowded streets. They make it harder for drivers to see and maneuver. They make it more difficult for children to see oncoming cars. They make it easier for predators to hide.

  • It will be more difficult for visitors to our homes to park - Having friends over for lunch? Is a serviceman making a repair call? Is a babysitter coming over? More cars parked in front of your house will make it more and more difficult for people visiting you to park there--or even find your house.
Our property values will decrease
Your property tax assessment might not reflect it, but your property value will decrease with a parking lot dumping hundreds of cars per day right next door. Noise, nighttime lights, trash, and more will make our neighborhood a much less desirable place to buy.

Night Events will be particulary troubling
The foundation did not include any night events in any of their traffic estimates. However, other presidential libraries have as many as 200 night events per year for things like fund-raising activities. Any one event can bring even more than the estimated 300 cars, and these events have a definite starting and stopping time, making congestion worse by several magnitudes.

Don't Let One Bad Decision Ruin Our Neighborhood
You can help prevent this situation from happening. Take steps to get involved by showing up at City meetings where this issue is discussed. Join our mailing list to be made aware of such meetings. Communicate your concerns to the City Council and P&Z Commission.