Revere Traffic Commission approves parking changes, tables and denies multiple handicap and neighborhood requests

Revere City Traffic Commission members on a meeting date not specified approved a set of parking regulation changes and an update to parking‑meter language while tabling and denying several handicap‑parking requests and neighborhood petitions.

The commission approved switching the no‑parking side on Mill Street (per a resident petition) and related small curbside changes, added one‑side no‑parking on Eaton Street, approved a no‑parking designation on Dolphin Avenue to improve emergency access near Liston Towers, and approved a broad update to on‑street parking meters that adds new meter locations and a short free courtesy period at selected spaces. Commissioners voted to deny or table several individual handicap‑parking applications and declined to advance a request to restore two‑sided parking in the Riverside neighborhood to a public hearing.

Why it matters: the approvals affect curbside access for residents, local businesses and emergency services across several neighborhoods; the meter and fee changes aim to increase turnover in commercial corridors, and the Riverside debate reflects a larger tension between preserving historic parking patterns and ensuring emergency‑vehicle access.

Most significant actions and immediate impacts

- Meter and rate updates approved: The commission approved amendments to Title 10 to add metered locations across parts of the city (listed in the ordinance update) and to formalize a 15‑minute free parking allowance at specified meters (Shirley Avenue, Orr Square/Central Avenue, Dehon/Dehone, and Garfield Avenue). The commission also approved a change to per‑interval pricing discussed in the meeting; staff described a move from $1.00 per hour toward a higher rate at meters that include the 15‑minute courtesy (the transcript records both $1.35 and $1.50 per hour during discussion). Parking Director Zachary Baba said the meter locations and rates follow a traffic study and consultant recommendations intended to increase turnover for business districts.

- Local no‑parking changes approved: The commission approved changing the no‑parking side on Mill Street (resident petition), adding no parking on the east side of Eaton Street (resulting in parking allowed on the west side), and designating no parking on Dolphin Avenue (westerly direction from Atlantic Avenue to Jones Road) to allow emergency apparatus access at Liston Towers.

- Handicap‑parking applications: The commission denied the public‑hearing request to add a handicap parking space at 35 Fernwood Ave after commissioners identified conflicting or insufficient documentation in the application packet; a separate request for 25–27 Cheever Street was also denied. Other handicap applications (11 Wave Ave and 15 Payson St.) were tabled pending additional medical or driver information.

- Riverside neighborhood request blocked from advancing: A petition to remove single‑side parking restrictions and restore two‑sided parking in the Riverside neighborhood did not advance. The commission cited safety concerns and measurements showing curb widths near or below the department’s thresholds; the discussion included extended public comment from neighborhood residents opposed to the change. The commission recommended a narrower alternative (overnight resident‑only parking) be prepared and brought back with resident signatures if the neighborhood seeks that outcome.

What commissioners and speakers said

Parking director Zachary Baba framed the meter proposal as a response to changing parking demand and a Stantec traffic study for the Broadway corridor; he told the commission the new meters would “help with … capacity and available space for somebody else.” (Zachary Baba, Parking Director.)

Ward Councillor Ira Novosulski (Ward 2) asked for a specific adjustment: reducing proposed Dehon Street meter spaces from four to three to balance residential and business needs. “We’re trying to balance out residential people with the businesses that are down there,” Novosulski said. The commission agreed to that change and incorporated it into the approved meter package.

Riverside residents pushed back strongly when commissioners declined to move the neighborhood’s request to a public hearing. One resident (name not provided) said the neighborhood “has had it for years” and that emergency vehicles had not been blocked in their experience; the commission and staff countered with measurements and a study showing instances where larger vehicles needed assistance to pass. The transcript records a heated exchange but no formal action to change the current one‑side parking restriction.

Votes and procedural outcomes (selected)

- Amend Title 10, Schedule 11 (add 35 Fernwood Ave): motion to deny — outcome: denied. - Amend Title 10, Schedule 11 (add 11 Wave Ave): motion to table pending clarification — outcome: tabled. - Amend Title 10, Schedule 8 (flip no parking side on Mill Street; add no parking on the east side near Revere Beach Parkway): motion approved — outcome: approved. - Amend Title 10, Schedule 8 (add Eaton Street no parking on east side): approved. - Amend Title 10, Schedule 8 (add Dolphin Ave no parking westerly from Atlantic to Jones): approved. - Amend meters and fees (Title 10 and Section 10.26.05): approved (with Dehon/Dehone change to three spaces); the package includes adding meters in multiple commercial footprints and a 15‑minute free parking allowance at listed locations. - Amend Title 10 (corner/proximity change at Walnut Ave & Shirley Ave from 20 ft to 40 ft no parking): approved. - Amend Title 10, Schedule 11 (add 25–27 Cheever St.): denied. - 15 Payson St. handicap application: tabled pending more information from applicant. - 247 Washington Ave (codify existing no‑parking signs): moved to public hearing (procedural vote to schedule a hearing). - 810 Bridal (15‑minute parking language): moved to public hearing. - Riverside two‑sided parking request: motion to advance to public hearing failed (commission did not move it forward). - Amend Schedule 11 (remove 110 Grandview Ave handicap space following occupant’s death): moved to public hearing.

Nut graf (context and next steps)

Several of the votes update longstanding curbside rules in response to both resident petitions and changing commercial activity along Broadway and Shirley Avenue. The meter and rate adjustments are intended to increase turnover in business districts; several neighborhood items were deferred for clearer medical documentation or further resident petitions. The Riverside petition will not proceed as currently proposed; staff recommended and commissioners encouraged the neighbor group to return with a narrower, signed petition (for example, overnight resident‑only parking) if they wish to pursue a change.

Ending

Several items were sent to public hearing or tabled for follow‑up; staff (parking director and clerk) will prepare ordinance language and corrected address references for the next meeting. The commission adjourned after completing the agenda.

Quotes in this story are taken verbatim from the meeting transcript and attributed to named speakers when the record identifies them.