The Mobil station at the corner of Mass Ave & Alewife Brook is back open after a big multi-month reconstruction of the pumps and tanks.
It is a massive failure of our planning and zoning that Cambridge’s northwestern gateway will continue as a half-acre gas station for years to come.
Across the street from the Mobil station sits this vacant garage.
In one of the most overheated real estate markets in the country, Cambridge’s planning and zoning doesn’t create a market condition that allows something to replace nothing. Failure.
@bikepedantic
Every single day, I walk past a half dozen vacant storefronts and moldering, hollow properties. It's such an incredible waste
@bikepedantic
In every case where I've had a chance to talk with the merchants before they closed, the explanation was always "yeah, it would've been fine except the landlord was being unreasonable about the lease" - so now there's nothing instead
@bikepedantic Interesting to think about. in an EV future, we'll need fast charging stations, and tire places, car washes, and maybe brake places (though they will last longer on Eos w/regenerative braking. But no need for Jiffy Lubes, tune ups, transmission places, muffler shops, emissions inspection sites, auto parts stores, etc.
@MrTinMD yep! So much real estate that those owners and land-use planners need to be plotting the next use for
@MrTinMD @bikepedantic you'll still need auto parts stores - wipers, air filters, cleaning products, lights and bulbs, tires and tire accessories. A lot of it will go away and there will be a reduction in volume, but you'll still have them.
@perkinsms @bikepedantic Air filters for cabin ventilation?
@perkinsms @MrTinMD but even many of those items will likely evolve away from user-serviceable
@bikepedantic @MrTinMD that's fair, but also unfortunate that I wouldn't be able to replace a headlamp or wiper blade myself.
@perkinsms @MrTinMD very unfortunate, but seemingly inevitable
@bikepedantic @perkinsms Wiper blades are easy, but I think headlamp replacement will become a thing of the past as bulbs are replaced by fiberoptic & tiny LED units. I'm guessing that all/most EV maintenance will be at the dealer, except maybe for tire stuff.
@MrTinMD @perkinsms tire shops will be the only auto-oriented winners from EVs. Heavier torquier vehicles are gonna chew through tires more often
@bikepedantic
great place for a volunteer- staffed bike maintenance shop for folks in need. Some people without tools or skills rely on a bike to get to work. Charities like food pantries should start doing this. Does not need a big budget. My "shop" is fewer square feet than that garage.
We could create an all-new retail square from the operating and defunct auto-oriented parcels alone (and should! Do we need to gas stations, a muffler shop, and a tire shop here, in an EV car future?)