Nearly 1,200 individuals who park on the UMass Medical School campus in Worcester will have their parking assignments changed on Feb. 8, as construction continues on the new education and research building.
Building the nine-story facility, located between the Lazare Research Building and the Albert Sherman Center, requires demolishing a significant portion of the First Road garage. Several hundred parking spaces will be eliminated, prompting a series of reassignments across campus.
“This is a significant impact for many people, so we ask for everyone’s cooperation to make these moves as smooth as possible,” said Suzanne Wood, associate director of sustainability and campus services.
Each affected parking permit holder will receive an email from the Medical School parking office with their new parking assignment and related information. Those emails will be sent during the week of Jan. 18.
The parking changes effective Feb. 8 are as follows:
- Approximately 330 people with reserved parking in the First Road garage will move to the South Road garage to designated employee spots on the fourth and fifth floors. (The balance of the South Road garage remains allocated for patients and visitors.)
- Unreserved employee parking spaces will no longer exist in the South Road garage, and employees with unreserved permits will move to the Pine Tree lot.
- Approximately 500 parkers with unreserved permits will move from the Pine Tree lot to the Plantation Street garage.
- Most of those with reserved permits in the First Road garage will be assigned to new floors within that garage.
“We want people to pay close attention to their email, so they don’t miss the details of their new parking assignment,” Wood said. “Badge access to the garages will change on Feb. 8, so people need to be prepared and understand where they have to park.”
Those getting new parking assignments will have to exchange their vehicle hanging tags. The parking office, newly located to the first floor of the Lazare Research Building, will be open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday during the weeks of Jan. 25–29 and Feb. 1–5 to accommodate the exchange.
People who are working on campus are asked to exchange their tags during those two weeks. Employees who are working remotely can exchange their tags later in the year once they return to campus, Wood said.
Shuttle service from the Plantation Street garage to campus will increase to accommodate the additional parkers; however, COVID-19 restrictions that limit capacity on the shuttle vans may result in increased wait-times for shuttle service during peak parking hours.
Anyone with questions should email the parking office at: parking@umassmed.edu
Related story on UMassMed News:
Nine-story biomedical research and education facility to be built at UMass Medical School
