By Adam Swift
The city council’s public safety subcommittee will consider a recent motion made by Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya seeking to limit the number of on-street residential parking stickers issued per address to four.
“Right now in Revere, there are no real limits to how many residential parking permits can be issued per address,” said Guarino-Sawaya at last week’s regular council meeting. “Residents can receive up to 10 per unit, whether it is a single-family home, or a multi-family building. This lack of regulation is creating serious parking problems across the city, leaving neighbors with limited options and increased tensions on our streets.”
The motion requests the mayor to ask the traffic commission to consider establishing a regulation to cap the number of permits at four per unit.
“Households that require more than four would still be able to apply for an additional permit through an appeals process,” said Guarino-Sawaya.
The appeals process would ensure that special circumstances are accommodated, such as if someone has four children and they all have their own cars.
“I am also proposing the option of a modest annual fee for any permits beyond the cap to help manage the demand and support enforcement,” the councillor said. “This motion is not about punishment, it is about creating a fair, balanced, and sustainable system. Cities like Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston already limit the number of parking permits issued by households and have annual fees in place; Revere needs to join them by modernizing our approach to residential parking.
“Our streets are a shared public resource and it is time that we manage them responsibly for the good of all the residents in the city of Revere.”
Councillor-at-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo praised the motion and said he appreciated Guarino-Sawaya putting it on the agenda.
Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro said he understood the logic behind the motion but would like to see some more discussion about it in subcommittee.
“I think we can find a way to really make this work, and at some point, I think we should talk about the resident parking program as well,” he said.
