Where Will All the Cars Go? A Parking Perspective from Boston’s Booming Seaport District 

Trina Tutor

September 2025

In July, I traveled to Boston with a few members of our TPN team (Leigh Thomas and Krista Olien) for the BOMA Conference and Expo. We stayed in an Airbnb condo on the 11th floor near the convention center in Boston’s Seaport District. From our window, we had a clear view of the area below—a neighborhood of brand new high-rises marked by rapid growth, bustling construction sites, and several buildings so new they were still vacant. 

Naturally, since we work in the parking industry, one of the things we noticed was a small, newly paved and painted parking lot across the street. It was fenced off and not yet open, but it appeared that it wouldn’t be long before it was. 

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On our second-to-last day, as we wrapped up post-conference work in the room, we heard heavy machinery working on the street down below. We ignored it at first. but then I looked out the window. I was shocked to see the little parking lot getting torn up by an excavator. The sight was almost painful to watch, knowing the effort and material involved in building even a small parking lot. But even more concerning was what it could mean for parking demand in this buzzing, high-growth district. 

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If you know me, you will not be surprised to know that this observation led to a deep dive on Google Earth. I love details and investigating so this little corner lot in the Seaport District of Boston piqued my interest.  

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Here’s what I found: 

• From at least 2001 to 2018, the lot was part of a much larger surface parking lot which filled up regularly based on satellite images. 

• Starting in 2018, it transitioned into a staging area for construction materials and equipment. 

• Then, in September 2024, paving and striping began, turning it back into what seemed like a functioning parking lot. 

• By July 2025, during our visit, the lot looked ready—but instead, it was being demolished. 

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To this day, we have no idea why the lot was paved and prepped, only to be torn apart. Will it be repurposed? Rebuilt? A missed opportunity? Maybe a new building is on the way. Or maybe it was all a miscommunication between development phases. 

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Whatever the reason, this small corner lot raises a much bigger question: Where will all the cars go?  

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The Seaport District is clearly booming. Residential towers, office spaces, and entertainment venues are coming online at a fast pace. With that kind of growth comes a real, measurable demand for parking—both for residents and for the thousands of workers and visitors this area will attract. 

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As parking professionals, we think beyond just paint and pavement. This experience was a reminder that parking demand does not wait—removing capacity, especially in high-growth areas, can create challenges downstream for access, circulation, and customer experience. In a district like Boston’s Seaport, where space is already limited and development is dense, strategic parking planning is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. 

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Also, this was not just a case of fresh concrete being wasted. It was a glimpse into how quickly things change—and how vital parking is as part of the conversation from day one.