The New Bedford City Council is considering reducing the city's parking production quotas, which currently require developers to build two off-street parking spaces for every new apartment.
Like many Massachusetts cities, New Bedford is experiencing an acute shortage of housing. A 2024 housing study by MassINC found that New Bedford had added about 3,000 additional households in the decade between 2010 and 2020, but built only 1,600 new homes in the same period.
The same report recommended that New Bedford should build at least 5,500 new homes by 2030 to mitigate the city's rapid increases in rental costs.
But under current zoning rules, 5,500 new homes would require the construction of at least 11,000 new parking spaces in the city – a requirement that would cost the city's homebuyers and renters hundreds of millions of dollars.
In a letter to his colleagues on the City Council, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called the city's current parking rules "outdated."
"Parking is often one of the most expensive aspects of new development. In addition to providing an adequate number of spaces, and stormwater management for the new impervious surface, developers frequently have to plan for more spaces than they need," the Mayor wrote.
According to U.S. Census estimates, there are 5,825 New Bedford households – about 14 percent of the city's households – that do not own any motor vehicles. 47 percent of New Bedford households own only one vehicle.
Under the Mayor's proposal, mandated parking quotas would generally be reduced to one parking space per apartment in new multifamily developments. Larger units with three or more bedrooms would retain the two-space requirement, as would single-family homes, attached townhomes, and duplexes.
The City Council's Committee on Ordinances endorsed the proposed amendments on Dec. 15th on a voice vote, after hearing testimony from a dozen supporters.
“We thank the Committee for its vote and Mayor Jon Mitchell for his support, and urge the full City Council to pass these common sense reforms to ease government parking mandates, freeing property owners to make their own decisions about how many parking spots their tenants will need,” said Will Gardner, founder of SouthCoast Places for People.
The proposal also received a favorable recommendation from New Bedford's planning board in November.
A final vote before the entire New Bedford City Council is expected in January.
This story was originally published on Dec. 15, and updated at 2:25 pm on Dec. 16 to include the outcome of the Committee on Ordinances meeting and the quote from Will Gardner.
