Parking Freeze in S. Boston Problematic as Tourism Rises

By Joshua Schubert

SOUTH BOSTON – With fine dining, brand new hotels, a concert venue and recently renovated museums, the South Boston waterfront has all the amenities a visitor could desire.

But as city officials push to transform the neighborhood into a tourism center, they are struggling to make room for the tourist to park.

The area is under a city-mandated parking freeze, which limits the number of possible spaces.

The limits were put in place “to promote the use of public transit and manage transportation demand,” according to a Boston Air Pollution Control Commission report.

Public transportation service to the area remains limited. The MBTA Red Line, which services South Boston, does not stop along the waterfront.

Plans for expansion of the Silver Line, to better service the tourist population, are underway.


The opening of the Institute of Contemporary Art in 2006 and the reopening of the Boston Children’s Museum the following year, in addition to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and new hotels, sparked an influx of business growth.

“Since opening our new building in 2006, there has been tremendous local, national and international interest in the new ICA and Boston’s revitalized waterfront,” said Colette Randall, the institute’s representative.

The interest has benefited local businesses, which have enjoyed a new customer base.

“[The] museum-goers keep us very busy,” said Joanne Chang, a nearby business owner, whose staff has difficulty finding parking.

Jack Schoaf, one of the many restaurant owners to open a location in the neighborhood, has seen his business grow, but “I don’t need [customers paying] $25 to park,” he said.
Schoaf cited a lack of attention to commercial interests on the part of local politicians as contributing to the problem.

“Ask [Councilor Linehan] the last time he came to the business owners down here,” Schoaf said.

The city’s most recent action came in 2006 when officials set aside 20 percent of the available parking within waterfront lots to drivers who arrive after 9:30 a.m., in an effort to reserve spaces for tourists.

Vivien Li, of the Boston Harbor Association, calls parking a cause for concern.
“It could be a problem when all the approved buildings are built on what are currently surface parking lots,” she said.

The city has also set aside 2,000 future spaces set aside in a “freeze bank,” which will likely be built as development continues.

Developers are required to apply for a permit before construction of new lots can begin.

“The permitting process in unpredictable with regard to timeframe,” said Janet Logan, marketing director for Gale International, the developer of Seaport Square in S. Boston.