07/10/2026
As the Ward 6 City Councilor, where these parking spaces are located, I wanted to provide some information and context about last night’s City Council discussion and vote regarding the parking lease between the City of Melrose and the Archdiocese of Boston/St. Mary’s Church.
Many people might not know, but for decades, the City has leased 53 parking spaces from St. Mary’s that are available for public use. These spaces are located behind the stretch of businesses between Giacomo’s, Barber’s Den and the VFW, with an additional area located near Myrtle Street.
In the past, the city has signed a three-year lease agreement. This spring, the Archdiocese proposed a new three-year lease that included an increase of approximately $19,000 more annually. The City, through negotiations, was able to reduce that increase to approximately $7,000 and move forward with a one-year agreement instead.
The goal of the one-year lease was to keep these 53 spaces available to the public while giving the City more time to look at our long-term parking needs and options.
Without a lease agreement in place, these privately owned spaces are not guaranteed to remain available for public parking, which could have an impact on residents, visitors, and our downtown businesses.
The vote in favor of the one year lease failed in our Appropriations & Oversight Committee and is up for a final vote at our City Council meeting on July 20th.
If you want to hear the discussion, check out the meeting from last night.
This is "Appropriations and Oversight July 9th 2026" by MMTV on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
