BIDDEFORD — With the recent changes to Biddeford’s parking rules, resident Jules Dennison said parking near her Alfred Street apartment has been difficult. Dennison has a disability and the parking changes have made it harder for her to find a space close to her residence to park her car for long periods of time.

But a proposed amendment to the city’s motor vehicle and traffic ordinance section on disability parking may make her life and the lives of others with mobility issues a little easier. On Tuesday, the Biddeford City Council gave initial approval to an amendment to remove the time limit for disability parking. On Jan. 3, the council will hold a final vote on the change.

The current ordinance allows those with a disability license plate or placard to park for double the posted time limit.

Parking changes in the downtown that went into effect in November and December included increasing the number of time limited parking spaces and charging to park in city-owned lots.

These changes have made free spots more of a premium in the downtown.

In November at a community meeting at Biddeford High School about the parking changes Dennison said, “I moved to this town because there was free parking.”

The parking changes have made it harder for her to find convenient parking and have had a negative impact on her life, she said.

On Tuesday, Dennison spoke in favor of the proposed amendment. So did resident Jason Litalien.

“I think unlimited time limits for handicapped parking is a great idea,” he said. “It helps solve some of the problems created by the council by installing parking meters.”

Litalien has filed a lawsuit against the city with York County Superior Court in Alfred demanding that the city stop charging to park in municipal lots.

Councilor Amy Clearwater who voted in favor of the amendment said passing it isn’t really a change. Currently, she said, the Police Department doesn’t enforce time limit laws on vehicles that have a handicapped license or placard. “We’re codifying what’s already true,” she said.

Councilor Laura Seaver, who has a disability, also voted in favor of the proposal. She said she has trouble accessing downtown businesses because of her disability, and said the same is true for many handicapped residents.

“This ordinance would have a profound effect on a large number of people,” Seaver said.

Councilor Michael Ready said he didn’t think it fair to allow only people with handicapped placards or plates to be able to park in any spot for unlimited time. “In fairness it should be for everyone,” he said.

Council President John McCurry said he has a handicap placard but voted against the amendment because he said he was concerned about abuse. He said he often forgets his placard in his car and thinks others do so too. As a result, McCurry said, people who aren’t handicapped can abuse the system by using a placard that doesn’t belong to them.

Councilor Norman Belanger said he didn’t think it made sense to vote against the amendment because of the potential of abuse. “If there’s an abuse, we deal with the abuse,” he said.

The parking plan that created more time limited parking in the downtown and charging to park in city-owned lots was adopted after the City Council began serious discussions to finance and construct a parking garage in the mill district on the site of the former Maine Energy Recovery Company trash incinerator.

The plan and garage are needed, according to city staff, because with only 2,889 combined public and private spaces in the city’s downtown and mill district there isn’t enough parking.

With an existing demand for 4,200 parking spaces, there’s a current deficit of 1,311 spaces. With full build-out in both the downtown and mill district areas, the supply remains the same but the demand increases to 5,122, and the deficit grows to 2,233. If the 3 Lincoln St. project is also developed — and the city announced earlier this year that a development plan for the site is in the works — both the demand and deficit increase by nearly 1,000.

City Council has not voted on whether to construct a municipal parking garage.

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be reached at 780-9014 or [email protected]