Committee refers proposed Eighth Street closure for 278 Union St. renovation to full City Council after abutter raises parking concerns

The New Bedford City Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods voted April 23 to refer a written petition from Councilor Derek Baptiste, filed on behalf of contractor D.F. Pray, to the full City Council for approval. The petition requests closure of a portion of Eighth Street — described in the filing as the segment from 13 Eighth Street to the corner of Spring Street — to run from Monday, May 12, 2025, through Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, for construction and renovation at 278 Union Street.

Councilor Derek Baptiste said the city and the project engineer had reviewed staging and parking plans and that agency staff had been in contact with nearby businesses. “I didn’t feel like they had to come in because we already settled how everything was gonna happen down there,” Baptiste said during the committee meeting.

An abutter, Michael Maderas of 286 Union Street, told the committee he shares a rear driveway served by Eighth Street and described repeated disruptions from construction-related parking. “There’s been some significant inconveniences… If they’re parked right in front of my building and along Eighth Street, I have a significant amount of impact with my business,” Maderas said, asking the council to require the contractor to prevent subcontractor parking on immediately adjacent blocks.

Tom Benton, the project manager for D.F. Pray, said the company developed the closure plan in coordination with the Department of Public Infrastructure and neighborhood stakeholders and that subcontractors had been instructed to park off-site. “We put together this plan with all of the neighbors and in conjunction with DPI and the city hall,” Benton said. He acknowledged the site has limited on-site parking and said the closure intends to confine work area impacts to the rear of the project and to keep Spring Street clear.

Committee members asked that Benton and the abutter exchange phone numbers so the contractor and the neighbor could coordinate during work. After discussion, the committee adopted a motion to refer the street-closing petition to the full City Council for approval; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

What happens next: The petition for a temporary closure will appear on a future full City Council agenda for formal approval and any conditions the council may impose. The committee did not adopt additional conditions at the April 23 meeting; it instead sent the petition forward for council action.

Clarifying details mentioned at the meeting include the amended proposed start date of May 12, 2025, and the applicant’s offer to bag meters if needed to provide contractor parking. The petition as filed describes the work as construction and renovation at 278 Union Street; the filing does not specify final staging dimensions beyond the plan shown at the meeting.