Parking Will Return to West Side of New Bedford’s Buttonwood Park

Many parking spaces were lost when construction began along the west side of Buttonwood Park on Brownell Avenue during the summer. Fear not, it's only temporary. In fact, new and improved parking accommodations are on the way.

The New Bedford Department of Parks, Recreation and Beaches posted to its social media pages in early August that "parking along Brownell Ave. in Buttonwood Park will be restricted due to construction of new public parking and a pedestrian walkway."

New Bedford Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling confirmed the news in an email this week. "Yes, the parking will return when the project is done," he wrote.

"The project is implementing green infrastructure and improving the stormwater system/cleaning the water quality in the pond," Darling said.

The Buttonwood-to-Bay Restoration Project is a multi-phase effort focused on Buttonwood Brook's water quality through green infrastructure like rain gardens, bioretention areas, and permeable pavement, alongside new parking and walkway construction at the park and at the Senior Center.

Parks, Recreation and Beaches said that "There is still plenty of parking at Buttonwood Park," and advises parkgoers to "park in the lot off Hawthorne Street or the lot on Oneida Street."

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There is also a $25 million expansion of the Buttonwood Park Zoo underway. Funding for the project is from public and private sources, according to the Buttonwood Park Zoo website.

"The master plan calls for redevelopment of the Zoo over the next 15 years. Work on the plan began in 2017," according to the zoo, which will not expand its footprint at the park as a result of the expansion plan.