Newton's Traffic Council deferred a decision on the Langley Road parking lot trial at its Thursday, Oct. 22, meeting, keeping the Newton Centre plaza's future unresolved.

The council also approved parking changes on three other streets, including an accessible space on Hollis Street, a resident-permit exception on Arapahoe Road and a new parking ban on one side of Ellis Road.

The Langley Road item, docketed as TC59-25, was originally requested by Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and Director of Planning and Development Barney Heath. It seeks to extend the trial of the Langley Road (Triangle) Municipal Parking Lot in Newton Centre, including the Newton Centre Plaza occupying a portion of the lot's two westernmost rows of parking, according to the Traffic Council actions summary.

All five voting members held the item 5-0.

The trial has a complicated history. The Traffic Council first held TC59-25 unanimously on Nov. 20, 2025, for a long-term trial. Councilors Lobovits and Lucas then appealed that decision to the full City Council. On Feb. 2, the Public Safety and Transportation Committee amended the reevaluation deadline from Oct. 31, 2026, to May 31, 2026, in a 6-2 vote, with Councilors Greenberg and Roche opposed, according to City Council records. The full council accepted that recommendation 22-0.

The Oct. 22 actions document still lists the original Oct. 31, 2026, reevaluation date. Whether the council was operating under that date or the amended May 31 deadline is unclear from the summary. A full meeting report is expected within two weeks.

A November 2025 city presentation to the Traffic Council showed the plaza cost $287,000 to design, build and maintain. A survey of 226 respondents gave it an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, with 86% wanting the pilot to continue. Parking counts showed the Langley Lot was 55% occupied in winter 2025 and 64% occupied in summer 2025.

In other business Oct. 22, the council approved three items:

Accessible parking on Hollis Street (Ward 1): Lisa Racheotes of 48 Hollis St. requested an accessible space in front of her building. Approved 3-2, with Juan Almagro and Captain Daniel Devine opposed, under Traffic and Parking Regulation (TPR) 1080.

Resident-permit exception on Arapahoe Road (Ward 4): Rajesh Khanna of 1781 Commonwealth Ave. requested that the 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. parking ban on both sides of Arapahoe Road be amended to exempt resident-permit holders. Approved 5-0 under TPR 1081.

Parking ban on Ellis Road (Ward 2): Councilor Tarik Lucas requested a restriction to ensure access for emergency, trash and recycling vehicles. The council approved a ban on parking on the south side of Ellis Road, 3-2, with resident member Mitch Fischman and Lucas himself voting against, under TPR 1082.

All three approved items may be appealed through Nov. 11.

A separate request from Dominic Caruso of Harvey Place for a full no-parking restriction on both sides of that Ward 3 street required no action, 5-0.

Voting members present were Almagro and David Koses of the Department of Public Works, Captain Devine, Fischman and Councilor Lucas. Councilor Malakie also attended.