Barre Parking Lots Close for Seminary Street Housing Project

Two municipal parking areas in Barre City are permanently closing as construction begins on a new housing complex along South Seminary Street, changing where some downtown workers, residents and visitors can park.

A City of Barre notice updated July 31 says the Rinker Parking Lot, identified as lot I, and part of the Campbell Place Parking Lot, identified as part of lot A off Campbell Place, are permanently closed. The notice says the closures began May 29, 2026, because of housing construction.

Where permit holders can park

Daytime parking-permit holders may use green-topped meters in other municipal lots and at listed street locations. The alternatives include the section of Campbell Parking Lot off West Street, Pearl Street Parking Lot, Keith Avenue Parking Lot, Granite Parking Lot, Merchant’s Row Parking Lot, and green-topped meters along Summer Street, Auditorium Hill and Cottage Street.

Overnight permit holders may also use green-topped meters. The city says those permit holders will not be ticketed for parking outside designated overnight spaces during the construction period.

The overnight enforcement flexibility is temporary, while the closures themselves are permanent. The city notice does not provide a confirmed construction completion date or describe a longer-term parking plan beyond the listed alternatives.

What the project records show

State Act 250 records identify the related development at 11 Seminary Street in Barre City as a 33,017-square-foot, five-story multifamily building with 31 housing units. The project records also describe associated parking, lighting, landscaping and utility work.

A Barre City Council packet from October 2025 described the project as the 31-unit Stevens Branch Apartments, an affordable-housing development with studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. A Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission review packet also corroborates the Barre location, building size and unit count. These earlier records provide project background; they do not represent a new approval tied to the July 31 parking notice.

The local tradeoff

For Barre, the change puts a practical tradeoff in one downtown location: the city is losing two municipal parking areas, one of them only partly, while making room for additional housing near the center of the city.

The closures could create more competition for nearby spaces among downtown employees, customers, visitors and nearby residents, particularly during construction. The city’s alternative-meter guidance gives permit holders a way to adjust, but the notice leaves open how parking demand will be managed after the project is completed.

Sources

• City of Barre parking-lot closure notice
• Vermont Act 250 project record JO 5-155