Residents, Business Owners Sound Off on Medford Square

Medford Patch posted an article last week after the City Council held a discussion about the current state of Medford Square.

The article sparked a lenghty discussion amongst readers, residents and a couple of business owners even got into the fray. In all, readers posted a whopping 65 comments on the article.

What follows is a sampling of some of the arguments posted on the article about how the square can be improved.

Maryellen Conway: It's the lack of parking, not the lack of parking enforcement. If there were available parking and not just behind the stores on Riverside Ave, the cars would not be forced to park over the limit. And where is the long term parking anyway if you're getting your hair cut, having lunch or dinner, buying a book or going from store to store? I get 2 hours to get it all done?

KellyB: I really think we need meters. People who stay for long periods of time, could be those people getting on a bus. I always want to stop in Medford Sq, but unless you go very early in the morning or at night there is no place to park and the traffic design if awful. To drive around in circles looking for a parking place or if there is on one the other side of the street, you can't get there in time.

Sharon Hepburn, owner of Mystic Coffee Roaster: There is virtually no parking enforcement in Medford Square. Cars park in front of my shop for hours on end while people come to me and complain about parking. Why do we keep talking about a parking garage on Governors Ave when the obvious location should be on Riverside Ave where the current municipal lot is? It's a much larger parcel and would accommodate a lot more cars and would handle the traffic so much better! Could you imagine the traffic on High Street if people are turning, entering & exiting the parking garage on Governors? It's already a disaster. That could be the death knell for the Square.

And while I do believe the Square has a long way to go, we have made great strides in recent years with several new very good restaurants & cafes opening up. I invite Councilor (Michael) Marks to actually visit the Square and see what we have so he can be a real cheerleader for the local businesses. I've yet to meet him here.

Ann Frenning Kossuth: We should just embrace our lack of parking enforcement and turn it into a retail win, encouraging commerce, shopping and restaurant use. We should tear down those down abandoned buildings next to Ed Markey's office (weren't these closed for environmental damage?) and turn them into parking spaces -- right near the Post Office and shops.

Sommer Aweidah: There is no reason to hang out in Medford Square. Davis has ice cream, food, an actual square where you can hang out on a bench & chat or watch the world go by... coffee shops, lots of food options. Medford has a couple of pizza places (grab & go), a couple of stuffy restaurants... date night, sure, but then what... there's no entertainment - no movie theatre, the Chevalier could be used for more, but isn't... there aren't even any bars (other than the ones in the restaurants) ... you can't hop around, there's no music.... why would you go to Medford Sq. when Davis is 1 mile away? I love Medford, but the only useful thing in the square for me is the Citizens Bank.

Shimrit Markette: I recently purchased a home about a mile from the square and have been pleasantly surprised by what the square has to offer. My favorites include: sushi from the Japanese market, Tenoch's tortas, fresh, local coffee from Mystic Coffee Roaster, trivia at Salvatores, and of course the ice cream at Colleens. We have at least two excellent breakfast places in the square and great drinks and food at Carroll's. That isn't to say that it couldn't be more. I'd love to see Medford Square gain some of the popularity of Davis. Besides the obvious answer of more and newer restaurants, I'd love to see a movie theatre or bowling alley and perhaps a fro-yo shop!

Donald Cranley: Parking Enforcement is the Key. I own Ward's Gifts, and every other customer complains about coming to Medford Square and dealing with the parking. Many customers tell me that they have tried to come 2,3, even 4 different times before but could not park. When they find parking, they consider it a "lucky day." Now think about how many customers give up and never return. 

High Street should have a heavy parking turn-over, but instead the same cars are parked there all day, every day from 8am til 5pm. And why not.....its FREE. 

No meters, no tickets......its GREAT. You can park in Medford for free and take the bus into Boston, its a great deal! 

Parking Enforcement is a must. It is the key. Everything else will fall into place.

What changes would you like to see in Medford Square? How can it be improved? What kind of businesses would you like to see there? Keep the discussion going in the comments here.