Committee sends Congress Street parking plan to full council with negative recommendation after members warn of worker impacts

The Salem City Council Committee on Ordinances voted 4–1 on April 8 to send two related measures — Order 142 and Ordinance 143, which would establish paid parking along Congress Street — back to the full council with a negative recommendation after members said more study is needed on effects for workers and on revenue estimates.

Councilors debated a plan to introduce passport-app signage (rather than physical meters) along Congress Street from Pickering Wharf south to Ward Street, affecting roughly 20–25 curb spaces. Parking Director David Cucharski told the committee the aim is to “follow the demand that we see throughout the year” and to repeal outdated ordinance language so the city’s code reflects current and proposed uses of curb space.

Why it matters: Councilors who opposed the move said shifting long-standing free curb parking to paid, long-term parking could impose costs and safety risks on downtown employees who rely on curbside spots during shifts. Councilors also said the likely revenue from 20–25 spaces would be modest compared with other possible sources, such as tour-bus fees.

“It's going to have an impact on the people that work in Pickering Warf and live nearby,” Councilor Terowski said during the discussion, arguing that many employees depend on those curb spaces while they work. Councilor Flynn said the proposal would “a bad look for the city,” citing low-wage employees and night-shift workers who could face new fees and parking limits.

Director Cucharski described seasonal pricing discussed by staff: as presented in the meeting, the proposal would use a passport-payment sign system rather than physical meters, affect about 20–25 spaces, and include seasonal rates discussed in the meeting (staff cited 50 cents an hour for much of the off-season and higher weekend/October rates). He told the committee that comparable metered stretches (for example, Washington Street at $7 an hour during one month) produced “a few thousand dollars” in revenue during peak periods, but that staff had not yet completed a definitive projection for Congress Street.

Several councilors pushed for alternatives or additional mitigations before changing curb access: reviving an employee permit or monthly-pass program that previously existed in parts of downtown, negotiating with private owners (the Waterfront Hotel/Pickering Wharf lot) to reserve or permit employee parking, or prioritizing a motor-coach permit to charge tour buses that currently park for free.

After extended discussion about worker impacts, permit options and uncertain revenue, Councilor Andrew Smith moved to discharge Orders 142 and 143 to the full council with a negative recommendation; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript as 4–1. The committee did not adopt the ordinance language at the meeting and asked staff to provide further analysis and potential employee-permit options for future consideration.

Next steps: Both items will go to the full council for consideration with the committee's negative recommendation; staff were asked to return with more detailed revenue projections, options for employee permits or private-lot agreements, and an operational plan for resident exemptions through the passport app.