Chair David Pearlman
Brookline Select Board
333 Washington St, 
Brookline, MA 02445

Chair Brian Kane
Brookline Transportation Board
333 Washington St, 
Brookline, MA 02445

Dear Chairs Pearlman and Kane:

On behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber and the Brookline business community, we write to ask that the Town pause any decision to raise parking fines until the business community has had an opportunity to weigh in.

At the moment, we cannot say whether business owners would be concerned that increased fines could deter some customers from shopping or dining locally. However, we believe this is an important enough question for them to be heard.

As you are well aware, ample and accessible parking is critical to businesses in Brookline and increasing parking fines could have unintended consequences. While we understand the rationale for increasing fines on serious safety violations, such as double parking, minor infractions are another matter. For example, a legally parked customer who misses the meter by a few minutes may sour on shopping locally and next time choose to visit a mall or another community with free or less stringent enforcement.

The Chamber would be happy to collaborate with the Town to solicit feedback and/or help promote a public hearing on the matter. All we’re asking is for the opportunity for our businesses to be heard before any final decision is made.

Sincerely,

Greg Reibman

President & CEO 

Charles River Chamber

617-799-0550