NAHANT — The Nahant Housing Authority Board has approved a proposed policy aimed at addressing a longstanding shortage of available parking spaces at one of its properties.
The proposal, introduced by Executive Director Kelley Collins, would establish a formal set of rules for parking at the Authority’s Chapter 667 housing development. Currently, the property has no official written policy governing parking use.
The need for a structured policy stems from a significant imbalance between available parking and demand. According to Collins, the property includes just 19 total parking spaces, 14 standard and five handicap accessible, which serves a much larger group of residents.
The issue has been under discussion for several months. The topic of creating a formal parking policy was first raised during the board’s January meeting, with continued revisions through February and March.
“I started by asking other local housing authorities for their policies, and the board and I reviewed those samples,” she explained. “We put together what we thought to be the best information from those samples, in addition to how we currently handle the lack of parking.”
As discussions progressed, Collins described the process as iterative, with multiple revisions and outside input considered.
Conversations with external contacts such as Town Administrator Alison Nieto and Selectman Robert Tibbo helped inform the policy, though “they understand our concerns, but obviously they can’t make decisions,” Collins shared, leaving further input to be reviewed through appropriate channels.
The proposal focuses primarily on clarifying how limited parking resources are allocated. It outlines that spaces are not assigned to specific units, except for handicapped spaces tied to designated accessible units. It also establishes how initial parking assignments are made and what residents must do to retain them over time.
“I think it keeps everybody who has a designated parking spot now, currently happy,” Collins stated. “But I think it makes stipulations as to, if you have a spot, how you keep that spot… It’s one thing to get a spot, but it’s how you keep that spot going forward.”
Under the proposed rules, residents would need to meet specific criteria to maintain a parking space, including being the primary driver of the vehicle, maintaining occupancy requirements, and providing documentation such as registration and a valid driver’s license. “So as long as you meet that criteria, you have your spot,” Collins explained.
The policy also addresses how additional or visitor parking is handled. Rather than designating formal visitor spaces, the plan refers to an “unpaved parking area” located at the rear of the lot.
This area would operate on a first-come, first-served basis and would be used for second vehicles or guest parking.
In addition, the proposal includes a process for residents to indicate their parking needs, whether they currently have a space, do not need one, or would like to be considered for one in the future.
The board also discussed plans to number each parking space and install signage to make assignments clearer for residents.
While members acknowledged the possibility of future revisions, they emphasized the urgency of implementing a policy now.
“It’s coming to a point now that certain people are really aggravating the people who live here.” Chairman David Wilson said.
Ultimately, the board expressed support for moving forward with the current version, even if changes are made later. “I think that, for the moment in time that we are in, this is the best we can do,” Collins said.
Because there is no existing formal policy, the proposal would mark the first time the authority codifies how parking is allocated and managed at the site.
