Massport is planning to build a 245-space overflow parking lot at Worcester Regional Airport. The quasi-independent state authority overseeing the airport has filed a notice of intent with the Worcester Conservation Commission to construct the parking lot directly north of its existing Lot B on Airport Drive. WCC will review the project in its Monday night meeting. The move by Massport supports efforts to double the airport’s passenger count by 2035.Massport’s plans come as it faces a Federal Aviation Administration deadline of the end of the year to remove temporary overflow parking installed on part of the airport’s tarmac, according to a letter to the commission from Worcester-based engineering and construction services firm BETA Group, which is working with Massport on the project. The deadline was part of an earlier agreement with the FAA to allow for temporary use of tarmac space next to the southwestern end of the terminal building. The temporary addition added about 150 spaces in 2024.The airport's tarmac in 2019 (left) compared to 2024. IMAGES COURTESY OF GOOGLE EARTHThe construction of the parking lot falls within Massport’s essential function, BETA Group wrote in its letter. Massachusetts law provides that an authority of the commonwealth is not subject to local bylaws, ordinances or regulations so long as it is performing an essential governmental function.The WCC serves as the permitting authority under the state’s Wetlands Protection Act, with Massport seeking an order of conditions for the project relating to that law. Massport is looking to construct a 1,200-square-foot wetland replication area to compensate for 1,183 square feet of bordering vegetated wetlands impacted by the construction. Counting the temporary spaces, ORH has about 840 spaces, according to satellite imaging. Removing the temporary spots and adding the 245-space lot will bring the airport to around 935 spaces.The site of the planned new parking lot. IMAGE COURTESY OF WORCESTER CONSERVATION COMMISSIONParking at ORH costs $7 per day. Parking for less than 24 hours is free. Worcester Regional Airport served 230,000 passengers in 2024, marking the highest volume of passengers in 34 years, according to Massport’s 2025 strategic report. That number dropped to 216,000 in 2025.The report noted hurdles to further growth, including a relatively large number of competing airports in New England and the airport’s inability to support large, wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 767 and Boeing 777.Worcester Regional Airport offers direct flights to Philadelphia via American Airlines; New York City’s LaGuardia Airport via Delta Air Lines; year-round service to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando via JetBlue; and winter-spring seasonal service to Fort Myers via JetBlue.Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
