Supporters of a moratorium on transferring municipal parking lots to private developers appear to have the six-vote supermajority needed to override Mayor Steve Noble’s veto of the proposal following a caucus meeting on Monday. The debate over the moratorium has become a proxy fight over the process used by Mayor Steve Noble to redevelop city property to build affordable housing.

Last month, a divided council voted 5-3 in favor of the moratorium introduced by Ward 2 Alderman Michael Tierney. The prohibition on the transfer of parking lots would last until the end of 2027 or until the council voted to end it with a six-vote supermajority. Tierney said the moratorium is intended to allow a consultant hired by the city time to complete a comprehensive study of parking conditions in the city. That study is scheduled for completion in the early summer of 2027. Tierney said moving ahead with plans to redevelop parking lots before its completion would signal that the $100,000 study was simply window dressing.

“I think it’s important to validate the efforts of our volunteers as well as our consultants and see the results of this study through before making these decisions,” Tierney said at Monday’s Democratic Common Council caucus meeting which comes ahead of the regular monthly meeting of the council on Wednesday.

Noble has pushed back on the idea, saying that the moratorium is unneeded since the council already has the final say on the transfer of any city property. In an Oct. 9 memo explaining his veto, Noble said that the moratorium could “derail” plans to redevelop city parking lots on North Front Street and Field Court for affordable housing. In both instances, the city issued “Request for Expressions of Interest” and has already chosen development partners from among the respondents. Noble’s memo also pointed out that both projects were the kinds of affordable housing efforts the council was on the record supporting and had approved a new zoning code to encourage.

“I cannot understand the logic of the Common Council delaying what is already a long, complicated process to plan for, design and fund affordable housing,” wrote Noble. “This sends the wrong message to our community and puts into question whether the council has a true willingness to prioritize housing over other issues.”

But council members have long complained that they are largely shut out of decision-making when it comes to public-private partnerships like the North Front Street and Field Court projects until the last minute. It is then presented as a fait accompli, putting lawmakers in the position of either rubber-stamping the plan or wiping out years of planning and design efforts with a no vote.

“It gives [developers] a heads up that they may need to work with us to figure out how to get to where they want to be,” said Common Council President Andrea Shaut of the proposed moratorium. “Instead of not coming to us and all of a sudden we just say no.”

The “form-based” zoning code enacted in 2023 dropped off-street parking requirements for new commercial and residential projects. The change was intended to open up what were previously considered unbuildable lots for development and especially affordable housing. But Noble’s efforts to effectively trade parking for housing has sparked pushback, especially in the Stockade District where lack of parking is a perennial complaint from the business community. At Monday’s caucus, Ward 3 Alderwoman Marissa Marvelli said in light of the new zoning code, selling off or giving away parking lots represents a betrayal of the public’s trust.

“The form-based code was adopted with the understanding that the parking lots would remain available and that’s how we could make this new zoning work,” said Marvelli. “To then turn around quickly and say, ‘No, we’re going to develop that parking lot’ just goes to show that government is not to be trusted.”

At the October council meeting, Bob Dennison (D-Ward 6), Ben Falk (D-Ward 4) and Sara Pasti (D-Ward 1) voted against the moratorium agreeing with Noble that it was unnecessary and would send the message that the city could not be counted as a trustworthy partner even on projects it had actively solicited. At Monday’s caucus, Falk and Dennison indicated that they intend to stand by their vote while Tierney said he has spoken with Pasti, who was not present at the caucus, and learned she would not change her no vote. But Teryl Mickens (D-Ward 5), who was absent from the October meeting said Monday that she planned to vote yes, giving moratorium supporters — barring absence or a last minute change of heart — the six-vote supermajority needed to override the veto.

“I think it’s redundant and doesn’t really add value,” said Dennison of the moratorium. “This conversation has made people aware of our concerns and I’m good with that.”