Gloucester City Council Extends Pleasant Street Parking to Four Hours for Museum Visitors

GLOUCESTER — June 23, 2026 — Gloucester City Council votes unanimously to extend Pleasant Street parking from two to four hours, protecting the Cape Ann Museum's visitor experience. The council voted 8-0 Tuesday on a measure sponsored by Ward 2 Councilor Dylan Benson that raises the limit from two hours to four on Pleasant Street between Main Street and Franklin Square, at an unchanged rate of 25 cents per half hour. Sheila Ruby, director of operations at the Cape Ann Museum — which is reopening imminently with a new blockbuster exhibition — told the council her institution drew 37,000 visitors in 12 weeks during a 2023 Edward Hopper show and that visitors routinely request more time downtown. Separately, the council voted 8-0 to approve a preservation restriction on the Thomas Riggs House at 27 Vine Street, a structure occupied by the same family from 1661 until its recent sale, placing it permanently under the stewardship of Historic New England. The council also accepted a $1,117,200 MassDOT paving grant for Bass Avenue on Route 127A, with no local match required.