Planning Board recommends repeal of mechanical parking ordinance to City Council

The Revere City Planning Board voted to recommend that the City Council repeal the city's mechanical parking system ordinance following a public hearing that reviewed construction costs and the ordinance's effect on development.

Board members said mechanical parking systems have repeatedly led developers to seek variances and that construction costs for mechanical systems were higher than originally anticipated. Planning staff told the board that the ordinance had been previously recommended for deletion but the City Council did not act in time, prompting a second public hearing.

Planning staff noted that only one mechanical parking installation is currently in use in the city, and one approved proposal remains active on Revere Beach Boulevard for a condominium of roughly 54 to 59 units. Two other proposed mechanical systems were abandoned because developers sought relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals instead, and those projects obtained parking relief rather than installing mechanical systems.

Motion and vote: The board took a motion to recommend repeal to the City Council. The motion was made by Mr. Stamatopoulos and seconded by Mr. Rivera. The roll call recorded six votes in favor (Abrams, Costanza, Hoffman, Rivera, Simmons Hurling, Stamatopoulos); one member, Sullivan, was absent. The board's action is a recommendation to the City Council; repeal would take effect only if the City Council adopts an ordinance to that effect.

Next steps: The Planning Board's recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for its consideration. The City Council will need to vote to remove the ordinance from the municipal code for the repeal to be effective.