Should new housing in Chelsea have to come with parking? The city is considering a change that would end mandatory parking minimums for new development.

City officials say the zoning change, a key recommendation of the new master plan, ¡Chelsea Pa'Lante, Onward!, could make new homes easier and more affordable to build, according to the Chelsea Record. It's a proposal, not a done deal, and the city scheduled public meetings for residents to weigh in.

The rule today

Under current zoning, buildings with three or more units must provide at least 1.5 parking spaces per unit, according to the Record. Units with more than two bedrooms need an extra half space for each additional bedroom. Single-family and two-family homes need exactly two spaces per home.

Some areas already work differently. The West Chelsea overlay district, adopted by the City Council in June, requires no minimum off-street parking, 02150 News reported. The Fitzpatrick-Prattville smart growth district requires at least half a space per unit.

There's a recent example, too. On Sept. 8, the zoning board approved four family-sized units on Beacon Street with no parking, the same report said. The condition: tenants can't get resident street parking stickers.

How the master plan fits

The master plan is the city's first comprehensive plan since 1970 and a roadmap for the next 15 years, according to the Chelsea ¡Pa'Lante, Onward! website. The plan won't rewrite zoning by itself, but it can recommend changes. Under state law, the Planning Board oversees and approves the final plan. The City Council reviews it for comment and considers whether to endorse it.

In other words, ending parking minimums would take its own zoning amendment, separate from the plan.

Why the city wants the change

"As we were developing our comprehensive plan, we found ourselves having to choose between parking and housing," City Manager Fidel Maltez said.

Ben Cares, director of Chelsea's Housing & Community Development Department, cited research from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. He said eliminating parking minimums "reduces the overall cost of producing housing."

The Record listed the city's broader goals: more housing and a lower cost of living, more room for housing and open space, more sustainable transportation, and less traffic congestion and pollution.

According to the Record, ending minimums wouldn't reduce the parking that exists now or stop developers from including parking. Instead, the market would set parking levels based on location. Sites identified for future housing growth sit along the Silver Line and major bus corridors, though no specific streets or neighborhoods were named.

The big question

02150 News framed it this way: does the change mean cheaper housing near transit, or more competition for curb space on side streets? The main worry it described is that housing without garages could push more cars onto streets that are already full.

The Record didn't describe specific opposition. It said residents at earlier workshops, surveys and planning sessions strongly supported more diverse housing options, especially affordable units.

How to weigh in

The first public meeting was Sept. 30 at La Colaborativa. Two more were set, both from 6 to 8 p.m., with food and live interpretation:

Thursday, Oct. 8, at GreenRoots, 90 Everett Ave., third floor, Suite 10.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Chelsea Senior Center, 10 Riley Way.

The City Manager's Office is collecting questions for an FAQ webpage and can be reached at 617-466-4209.

What to watch

Any change would need a formal zoning amendment through the Planning Board and the City Council. Neither report said when, or whether, the council would vote.

Also watch for the FAQ page, any proposed zoning language, and the Planning Board's Oct. 27 vote on the draft master plan. The draft puts a zoning code rewrite at the top of its priorities.