Haystack allows people to sell their on-street city parking spaces to others for a fee.
David Harris
Tech Editor- Boston Business Journal
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It always takes a rabble-rouser to jumpstart the innovation conversation.
In this case, it’s Haystack, the much-talked-about location-based app, developed by a Baltimore resident, that aims to sell on-street parking spaces to others looking for a space. I personally limit my driving in Boston because it’s really hard to find parking in much of the city, especially during peak times. But Haystack and other apps like it ( think controversial MonkeyParking out in San Francisco) are profiting off of public space and forcing drivers like me to pay a premium for a simple parking space.
TechCrunch described these startups as ” JerkTech,” the disruption of industries that don’t need to be disrupted. That sounds about right to me. But Haystack’s founder thinks of it differently.
“I think that it’s hero tech, I think that it’s neighbor tech,” Haystack CEO and founder Eric Meyer told me.
Haystack launched about two weeks ago in Boston. The buzz is unlike anything I’ve seen recently — and it’s mostly not good. City Councilor Frank Baker has crafted an ordinance that seeks to ban for-profit companies like Haystack from making money off public parking spaces. The proposal would set a fine of $250 per violation. And Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who hasn’t said if he would take action against Haystack or similar apps, hasn’t taken too kindly to Haystack either.
“Here we have a company that wants to come in here and they want to create an industry and profit from it,” Walsh recently told me. “They’re basically squatting in publicly-owned spots and selling those spots. You’re selling something that’s not yours. The problem is you can’t sell public spaces. It’s like saying, ‘I want to have a restaurant in the basement of City Hall Plaza.’ It can’t happen. It’s public space. It’s just not fair.”
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