This is a lightly edited transcript of the Chelsea Traffic and Parking Commission meeting of Wednesday, November 4, 2026, made from the Chelsea Community Cable livestream. Speech recognition software produced the text and separated the voices. We labeled the person running the meeting as Chair; other remarks are marked Speaker because the software did not reliably tell the commission members apart. Speakers who introduced themselves include District 5 Councillor Lisa Santagate, Housing and Community Development Director Ben Cares and the department’s deputy director. We corrected names and misheard words where the record allowed, and marked passages we could not make out as [unclear]. Names and house numbers of private residents and applicants are removed. Otherwise the words are as spoken. Timestamps count from the start of the livestream; the meeting begins about six and a half minutes in. For anything you plan to quote or rely on, check the video.
Our reports on this meeting: Cottage Street lighting and traffic calming and Forsyth Street, the Broadway layout and the rest of the meeting.
[0:06:38] Chair: Good evening, welcome to the November Traffic and Parking Commission public meeting. I will now begin. First item is going to be the public comment section. Again you’ll have four minutes to speak about a topic. About 30 seconds left. I’ll give you a warning if you do plan on speaking during the public comment section. Make sure you sign in. There’s a sign in sheet right to the left. Then come to the mic. Make sure you speak into the mic, state your name and your address and you can begin your comment. Do I have any questions? Yes. Thank
[0:07:15] Speaker: you. Hello everyone, I’m Lisa Santagate and I reside [address omitted]. I’m here for a couple of things. First of all I just wanted to say that the safety mitigation across the street at the intersection of Shurtleff and Marlborough and Broadway had been started the last time that I was here a month ago and it’s been complete. So I guess the data will tell us whether or not it’s successful but it seems to be slowing people down. And I did notice when I came down Shurtleff street from Central a couple of nights ago that you can see the reflective tape on the barriers all the way from Central. So that was encouraging. So thank you for that. I do encourage anyone I hear from. Some are my district constituents and some are not. But I seem to be the traffic person in the city, city sometimes. So I get a lot of correspondence or calls and asks for help. So I do encourage people to put themselves on the agenda by writing but I’m not sure that that happens all the time. So I just wanted to share what’s going on out there that I have heard about some of it. I’ve actually liaised with the police already but just want to keep you aware that there are is some quality of life concerns. I got a letter from someone who lives on Central Ave, which isn’t District 5, just over the border and I guess the intersection there, I’m not sure where people are coming from but they have a lot of loud music on and it’s interrupting the quality of life for people at that intersection of Willow and Central. And I know we don’t have noise meters and it’s difficult but I did speak to Captain [name unclear] from patrol about it and they were going to try to see if they could maybe have some patrol sometime at night to catch people if there’s loud noise in the car. But it is a concern all over the city. So just wanted to put that on your radar. I’m sure, that’s been decades but it’s there still. The other thing is we had a subcommittee for public safety about scooters, e bikes, mopeds and just to keep the public informed, the Chelsea Police Department is going to come up with operations scooter safety or something in that regard in the spring. And we’re going to try a combination of education and enforcement just because the issue is serious with two wheel vehicles on the sidewalks and weaving in and out of traffic and all the rest of it. So Captain [name unclear] has looked into online program that is teen road safety as well. So something that the younger operators would like a course that you would go through. So I think that that in tandem with some enforcement maybe will help things. They’re doing it all over. Our department decided to wait until the spring because I the ridership will probably decrease in the winter months, but it is ongoing. I saw something in Everett with the state police just two nights ago where they’re taking the scooters and mopeds etc off the streets. So there’s that. And then the one other thing and I did see this on the agenda but I don’t know if the constituent is here. [a resident] for speeding on Cottage, which I have talked to you about and Officer Marchese. I know that we talked when we had our district walk recently Bellingham and Cottage. So I think that he did submit and he’s on our agenda and that’s all. Thank you for listening.
[0:11:15] Chair: Thank you. Thank you. Did you sign anyone?
[0:11:25] Speaker: Yes, I did.
[0:11:26] Chair: I just State your name and address.
[0:11:28] Speaker: Good evening, my name is [name omitted], Franklin Avenue. I am here this evening just to bring a couple of items to your attention. I did submit an email at the beginning of the week, but I know it was a little late to end up on your agenda for this night’s meeting and that was to request a stop sign being put at where Franklin Ave and Spruce street meet. According to a neighbor who grew up on that street and Is in their 50s now, there used to be a stop sign in that location and it got knocked down probably within the last two decades in the winter and was never put back up for anybody that takes that corner either from Franklin down Spruce or coming up Spruce onto Franklin, it is near incidents all day, every day. So there are some incidents that get reported because I see the police come up when we do have the actual incidents. But the potential for far worse incidents is a lot higher than what your records are showing for confirmed incidents in that location between the neighborhood being so heavily congested with parking that people are parking all the way around that corner there. There’s really no good sight lines from either direction. So having the cars coming down Franklin Avenue at a pretty quick speed feed the bulk of the time as well and not have them stop at that intersection point, I think is just a very tragic incident waiting to happen. And as somebody who lives just a little further down, I witness it regularly. So I would appreciate the consideration to put the stop sign that I’m told that used to be there back up and potentially consider one of those ones that, that has the flashing red lights that you’ve added over in like the Beacon area. Because of the parking. I worry that they won’t see the stop sign unless it has the lights on it. So that was one of the reasons I was here this evening. And then I also am here in support of some of my neighbors on Forsyth Street. We’re having a lot of problems. And coming out of the one way of Franklin Avenue, that’s my only access to get out of my house. And I can tell you that is a pretty dangerous street to turn onto on a regular basis because of the speed that people are coming up and down that hill. And since the folks in [apartment building] are having a problem with their parking garage right now, we have even more people that are parking on that street, more double parking going on on that street. And then having the people coming up and down that street as quick as they are. I don’t know what sort of mitigation that you can do to help calm that area. I know we can’t put speed bumps throughout the entire city. So I don’t know if there’s other more creative ways to help slow this down. But in speaking with my neighbors, we are having cars damaged on almost a daily basis because of people speeding and trying to fit by all the double parked cars. And then in the mornings, especially when the little kids are all out to go to school, we’ve had some near misses of people almost being hit on that street. So I think it’s something that again, we, we haven’t had a tragedy there yet outside of people’s personal property and their cars being damaged, which is tragic enough. But before we have an incident with somebody being severely injured, if we can look at what we can do in that area. Thank you.
[0:15:33] Speaker: Good evening people. My name is [name omitted], I live on Forsyth Street here in Chelsea. I’ve been living there over 15 years. I come to you guys today to say, follow up on what [the previous speaker] said that we’ve had over several incidents on that hill of [apartment building], that street, Forsyth street. And it’s getting worse. Like she said, they condemned our apartment garage. So 109 units in that building are now under on the street also. But what my problem is is during the morning times, in the late nights, people are using that street like a highway. And I’m not talking 5, 10, 15, 20 miles. I’m talking 30, 40 miles an hour coming from the top, Franklin Ave. And the other street up there. My concern is that my car’s been hit three or four times over there and I had to redeem that through my insurance. I’m hit and run, didn’t find out who did it. In the last few weeks we’ve had several cars hit twice during the process of making a claim of their car being damaged, somebody else came by and hit it again. Because of the excessive speed on Forsyth Street. I don’t know what you guys can do. Most of the residents suggesting a speed bump, something portable to slow the people down. Some other residents are saying make it a one way. I don’t believe Forsyth Street should ever be a one way. It’s just too congested. But I come to you guys just as a resident who’s been here for a while and I’m being honest with you. I’ve been watching people. Every morning I watch the kids go to school, every morning I watch the kids come home and it’s bus drivers, you know, private venues, truck drivers, everyone coming down that hill. And when you tell them to slow down, they give you the bird. And I’ve even stepped out in front of a couple cars and they wanted to run me over before they slowed down. But we have over 100 something kids on that hill and they all ride scooters and bikes and stuff like you know, the other lady explained and someone’s gonna get hurt and I don’t wanna wait till one of my kids or my neighbor’s kid get killed on a scooter or a bike just going across the street because someone fails to slow down because they don’t think they have to. That’s why I’m here addressing this board today. Thank you for listening to me.
[0:18:02] Chair: Thank you.
[0:18:12] Speaker: Hello, my name is [name omitted]. I live on Forsyth Street. They already said everything about what happened on Forsyth Street. But my concern also is about Cary Square. When the red light comes on, people go through the light and you will be in the middle of the street and they go right through you that you’re not even There someday. There has been already a couple of people that already got hit. And really. And someday somebody’s going to get killed on that street because the cars just don’t stop for the red light and stay there. That’s my concern.
[0:18:56] Chair: Thank you. Is that anybody else for public comment? Have a motion to close. Public comment.
[0:19:13] Speaker: I’ll make a motion to close the public comment.
[0:19:24] Chair: Next. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes from October 6, 2026 meeting?
[0:19:29] Speaker: I’ll make a motion to approve the minutes.
[0:19:32] Speaker: I’ll second. Actually. Also had the question can I second? Because last week I was acting. Everything that is on the minutes is true. Then I do. I’ll second. Yeah.
[0:19:54] Chair: All right. Next on the item is going to be a discussion and possible vote on the appeal from [appellant] regarding the revocation of the 2026 resident permit. I believe he’s is needs to show proof of residency.
[0:20:13] Speaker: Yes. At all. At last week’s meeting, we asked him to bring a. Any proof of residency, a bill, electric bill, and he said he would come back this week with it. I don’t believe he’s here tonight, is he? I don’t see him.
[0:20:27] Speaker: So I wanted to try to get the documents before the meeting for all of you to review. And unfortunately he was not able to provide proof of residency to the commission.
[0:20:43] Speaker: So with that being said, I believe we’ve given him over a month to get the proper documentation which he’s going to bring before. So I’m going to make a motion to deny his appeal.
[0:20:52] Speaker: I’ll second. Also. Just procedural. Do we need to vote? Yes.
[0:21:04] Chair: Yes. Sorry. Yes. Motion for a vote. All in favor?
[0:21:10] Speaker: Aye.
[0:21:12] Chair: All opposed? Thank you. All right, Item number four is going to be the downtown Broadway roadway reconstruction project building hearing an update.
[0:21:36] Speaker: All right. Hi, folks. I’m Ben Cares. I’m the Director of Housing and Community Development for the City of Chelsea. This is an item. It’s a formality for the Traffic and Parking Commission to approve the layout alterations for the downtown Broadway project. As you may recall, at previous meeting, this body already approved the construction plans. So that was one requirement of Traffic and Parking commission was to say, yes, we agree with the construction documents. Signals, you know, parking, all of that, that is the purview of this body. Another purview of this body is that when layout alterations are brought to the planning board for approval, those need to go to the Traffic and Parking Commission for approval recommendation to city Council. And so when we had the planning board already approve the layout alterations and in your packet, you’ll See what those layout alterations are. I can explain them relatively briefly, but basically when the survey is done for the roadway project, they discover that parts of the sidewalk are actually owned by private property owners and not the city. So all this process is doing is it is formalizing the fact that the sidewalk is a part of the public right of way and it affirms that the city is accepting a new layout, as shown in this document, that commemorates the fact that, yes, the city owns most of the sidewalk, the property owner owns a chunk of it, and that the city is actually going to take those pieces through what we call permanent easements to formalize the roadway so that now the back of the curb to the back of the curb is considered the public right of way. That is what the layout alteration is. Is that clear to this body? Because I’m happy to answer questions about it. And there is graft, there’s suggested vote language in there. But basically this will go to city council next. It’s already been approved by the planning board. They’ve already signed the documents. And this is a step that we have to take in order to get our certificate from Mass DOT and through the federal highway process that’s required for this funding for this project. So happy to answer questions because I know it’s a little
[0:24:01] Speaker: wonky. I just have one question, Ben. So does this change or alter any of the voting that we already put will be already. No, it doesn’t. Yeah, it. It does not change anything that you already approved. Does not change parking or signals or anything that is the purview of this board. You already reviewed that and voted upon that. This is a separate approval process and is again, it is just to basically formalize that
[0:24:29] Speaker: where the sidewalks are, where you would expect the public right of way to be, is in fact there. And the city is going to acquire some pieces of it so that we actually can operate on it because beforehand we actually didn’t know that some of the property owners owned a little chunk of it. So that’s really all it is. It’s just. It’s a formality. That’s a good question. Thank you, [Ben].
[0:24:55] Chair: Any other question? A motion to accept. Approve.
[0:25:00] Speaker: Yeah, I’d like to make a motion to recommend the city council approve the alterations of the layouts of portions of Broadway, Bellingham street, Marlborough Street, 6th Street, Washington Avenue and Chestnut street as public ways to include within said layouts parcels 31C, 36C, 38C and E64 as shown on the plan entitled Quote Plan and Profile of targeted safety improvements and Related work on Broadway from William street to City Hall Avenue in the city of Chelsea [unclear] right of way plans unquote dated 10-29-2021 revised through 08-11-2026 prepared by Green International Affiliates Incorporated and HNTB consistent with Planning Board unanimous recommendation of 09-22-2026. And to forward this recommendation to the city council for final action I will second
[0:25:53] Chair: all in favor
[0:25:54] Speaker: I
[0:25:55] Chair: any oppose?
[0:25:58] Speaker: Thank you thank you.
[0:26:06] Chair: Item number 6 discussion and possible vote on the handicap application of 10-02-2026 from [applicant] of Hooper Street. Is [the applicant] here today?
[0:26:32] Speaker: I do know as I drove by there today there is a there already is a sign there now also is that that’s not for her currently correct? No someone else I mean her application states that she does have a driveway and it’s available to her I mean obviously I’d like to ask her why she can or cannot use the driveway. Looking at the piles quickly it does have a deep incline on the driveway which we spoke to someone on [street unclear] I believe it was [street unclear] his driveway was just too steep for him to lock up so we rented him a handicap so But I’d still like to hear from her that that’s the.
[0:27:12] Chair: Comments or. Anybody want to make a I would make a
[0:27:20] Speaker: motion to table it if also you like to find out from her or you would we’d like to see if she can come in next month and and state her case
[0:27:27] Speaker: Sure I I did say I I did send a invite she’s and I did not she’s respons
[0:27:35] Speaker: so I I make a motion to make the we will table until next month’s meeting and at that point we can decide whether another vote on it second.
[0:27:48] Chair: All in favor?
[0:27:49] Speaker: Aye
[0:27:50] Chair: Any opposed? Item number seven discussion and possible vote on the communication of 10-7-2026 from Councilor Norieliz DeJesus requesting the commission to explore pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures at the intersection of Eastern Ave and Carroll Street.
[0:28:12] Speaker: I am happy to speak on this matter on behalf of the Department of Housing and Community Development. My name is Jim [surname unclear]. I serve as deputy director of that department. This area that is being considered for pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures is actually going to be a part of a Safe Routes to School infrastructure grant project. So this intersection is going to fall within the boundaries of this project. The only downside is that construction is slated for no earlier than 2028. So what we would maybe consider doing is working with our colleagues in the Department of Public Works and maybe study the area. Look at what the plans would suggest is going to be a permanent structural change to this intersection. Maybe we could do something with some quick build materials when the time is right.
[0:29:00] Speaker: Yeah, currently we only have do not block the intersection stripe. We just DPW just recently strike that about less than a month ago. Just to highlight it. We also added one sign there. We were talking about adding a handicap. Sorry a crosswalk on the side closest towards Broadway. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that there isn’t one there. So that might also help it. Again the only problem with that, it’ll pass over the blocked this thing on it. You know that we’ve already painted which we spoke with Joel briefly. But if you want to take a look at it one day with us, we can also take a look at it. There’s something else we can add there
[0:29:35] Speaker: then. I’m more than happy to make a motion for Housing, Community Development as well as Department of Public Works to study the intersection and look at traffic calming measures in the area. That would be temporary before permanent structural changes are made to the roadway configuration that will create permanent safer traffic calming conditions. I’ll second.
[0:29:56] Chair: All in favor, any oppose? Item Number 8 discussion and possible vote on the communication of 10-15-2026 from [a resident] of Bellingham Street requesting speed bumps on Cottage Street.
[0:30:20] Speaker: I’m also happy to. Well, to
[0:30:22] Speaker: be perfectly blunt, I’m not happy to be discussing this particular item on the agenda.
[0:30:28] Speaker: The reason why this item was moved forward, it was the result of really an unspeakable tragedy that occurred in the area. A two year old girl lost her life in a traffic incident. And while I am precluded from
[0:30:42] Speaker: making any comments on an active police investigation, I would like the public to understand that everyone here in this city who works for it is fully committed to a Vision Zero policy. This is
[0:30:54] Speaker: a policy that has been passed by the city. This is the goal of reducing all traffic deaths and serious injuries to zero. Never again. That is our stated goal.
[0:31:06] Speaker: And Public Works. I personally was joined by folks from Public Works as well as our public safety departments at the site of the area. We’ve already looked at it, we’ve studied it and
[0:31:17] Speaker: I think we can work on looking at some lighting in the area that would be working through our utility company in order to see if we can make conditions look brighter down there and also study traffic calming measures for the future. I personally consider this a moral obligation to do exactly this when we have instances of things like this happening so that
[0:31:40] Speaker: we can work towards the ultimate goal of no more traffic
[0:31:43] Speaker: deaths, no more serious injuries. And so I would just commit us to that that we will continue to study it and see what would be the best approach in this area.
[0:31:53] Speaker: Yeah. Thank you, Jim. I did not the exact location but a telephone pole 60ft away from that that light was out. That’s been replaced by our electrical contractor. That was done last week. So that is done. And then the electric company did replace a bow and a light further up further up Bellingham. So those have all even happened. But I agree with you.
[0:32:12] Speaker: I do. I want to stress that again unspeakable tragedy and you are witnessing a vision zero response to that tragedy. So that once more we recommit ourselves to this not happening ever again. I will second Jim’s motion.
[0:32:35] Chair: All right. All in favor?
[0:32:37] Speaker: Aye. Aye.
[0:32:45] Chair: All right. Item number nine. It’s gonna be discussion and possible vote on the communication of 10-21-2026 from City Manager Fidel Maltez requesting the commission to discuss a change to the 10 hour parking meters on Central Ave. To mirror the 2 hour meters in the downtown area. I believe this for the restaurants.
[0:33:08] Speaker: To my understanding, this is an area where there is a new restaurant that has been opened up. Historically these have been parking meters and this is closer to where Eastern Avenue is in the city of Chelsea. This is not the other end. This is specifically in that area where parking meters may be located. This would be a move to help create kind of turnover in the spaces that would help benefit local businesses in the area.
[0:33:36] Speaker: Just going to speak. I’ll log in and just say that I, I even though you, I know you said that but I think that should be in the request. That’s just for that specific area. But where you’re talking about the meters down by the parking garage. Yes. Okay. I was always under the assumption that those 10 meters were 10 hour meters for the workers of the airport that can’t fit in the garage. Not everybody’s allowed to park in that garage. Only person, only companies that pay for it are allowed to park in the garage. If your company doesn’t pay for it, you have to find your own parking. And that’s why we allow 10 hour meters there. I don’t know if that’s still the same problem, you know same still going on there or if there’s a less need for it now. I know they’re also looking for some two hour meter spots on Willow at the restaurant which is not in place yet. I know that’s they’re looking for that still too in front of where they’ll be putting the. Underneath the parking garage.
[0:34:34] Speaker: I do believe that restaurant has some permitting they still have to go through before they open their
[0:34:38] Speaker: doors. Agreement. The agreement we made with, with [unclear] was when, when that restaurant was open for business, we would then put the meters in. So those, those are still going to go in, obviously. I just, I’d like to find out, like I said, if that’s. If the parking garage is still in need of those 10 hour meters. Because as soon as someone that works in the airport park’s there for two hours, they’re just going to get ticketed.
[0:35:04] Chair: You want to make a motion?
[0:35:06] Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I just. I’d like to make a motion just to get more clarity if we can. So if we want to table till next week, we can also, we can speak with the city manager, just get us a better idea on what he’s thinking and what he is. I make a motion to table until next month’s meeting. We can get more information. Second.
[0:35:20] Chair: All in favor? Any opposed? Item number 10. Discussion and possible vote on the communication of October 21, 2026 from parking clerk Jeanette Cintron White requesting the removal of a handicap sign on Essex Street due to their failure to update their expired plaque head on file.
[0:35:47] Speaker: I believe I was told that they just didn’t even. Just didn’t want it. They also, they’re expired. So I’ll make a motion to approve the request to remove the parking. I’ll second.
[0:36:02] Chair: All in favor?
[0:36:03] Speaker: Aye.
[0:36:04] Chair: Aye. Any opposed? All right, that is it for the meeting tonight. The meeting is now adjourned. Thank you all for coming.
[0:36:14] Speaker: Thank you. Thank you all. It.