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Council asks city manager to study parking‑permit program for small‑business employees
Summary
Councilors voted to direct the city manager to study a proposal for employee parking permits or passes in neighborhood business corridors after business owners from the University Avenue area described daily ticketing and staff retention problems.
The Lowell City Council voted on June 10, 2025, to ask the city manager and relevant departments to study the feasibility of a parking‑permit or pass program for small‑business employees in corridors that face limited parking.
The motion, offered by Councilor Chao and seconded by Councilor Noon, was prompted by testimony from local business owners and a desire among councilors to support small employers who struggle to retain staff when employees are repeatedly ticketed.
Michael Kitt, co‑owner of Egg Roll Cafe, told the council that his business and its roughly 30 employees face short‑term meter limits that force workers to move cars multiple times a day. “They’re getting ticketed…$40 tickets at a time,” Kitt said, describing meters with two‑hour limits and ambiguous signage that led to frequent citations and staff parking up to six or seven blocks away.
Councilor Chao framed the motion as an expansion of a previous downtown pilot: the study should examine targeted permit access for employees in designated residential zones or underutilized side streets, equitable pricing models, signage and enforcement, and protections for customers’ access to metered space.
City Manager (unnamed in the transcript) told the council that the city’s parking ordinance has accumulated inconsistencies over decades and that the solicitor’s office is reviewing it; he said the administration hoped to present additional flexibility and options within two to four weeks, and to consider neighborhood pilots after that.
Council members who represent neighborhoods where small‑business parking is tight said they had received similar complaints and urged the manager to coordinate with the parking department and neighborhood businesses. Councilors Scott and Robinson said a permit program limited to employees — not customers — could help low‑wage workers and students who rely on short shifts.
The council approved the motion; staff will return with a feasibility report and options for a neighborhood permit or pass program.
